Lost in the Shadows
by Tishannia
Summary: aeriseph&cloti&yuffentine&relena , An unexpected reunion throws Avalanche back into the fray and they try to regain the world they once knew, amidst dealing with unexpected arrivals, friendships and relationships.
1. Prologue

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Prologue_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

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Eight figures stood on the edge of a deep and dark crater, a forever living memory of the struggle of the Planet. The eight had done all they could to save the Planet from the psychopath, Sephiroth, but this moment was the one to decide their fate. The wind gently caressing their faces and the faint green glow of the earth around them went completely unnoticed to them all; their eyes were for a sight hopefully never to be seen again.

Meteor.

Holy.

Holy had created what looked like a shimmering white barrier over Meteor's striking target; Midgar. Barret's curses mixed with the gasps of the rest of Avalanche were heard, when time seemed to have stopped; for a moment, it looked as though Meteor wasn't going to move any further, but it soon began to plunge onwards, vaporizing Holy.

Soon, it was swallow up Midgar.

"Holy is having the opposite effect!" Nanaki growled, falling stance conveying his rage and helplessness.

"Dammit, you foo', why? Fuck!" Barret snapped back at him.

Nobody had an answer to his question. Avalanche found themselves staring at the mass of destructive material plunging down faster now that Holy had been decimated. Tifa fell to her knees and tears streamed down her cheeks. Cloud moved to comfort her, but halted when he saw parts of the earth split open in various places.

"What the... What is that?" Cloud said, motioning towards green spirals flowing upwards out of the cracks and crevices that suddenly surrounded them. Everyone turned their attention to the anomalies and stood baffled by the sight.

"Is that not the the Lifestream?" Nanaki asked aloud, more to himself then the others standing around him.

Everyone looked at him for a moment, understanding dawning on their faces, before turning back to see what effect the Lifestream would have on Meteor. The huge mass of rock and storm seemed to stop in its place for a moment, though it looked like it was battling to move forward to further destroy Midgar. Holy was holding it back.

Suddenly, a bigger burst of the Lifestream seeped out of the cracks and crevices, coming together to surround Meteor. A flash of blinding white light caused the members of Avalanche to turn away and shield their eyes.

And then a ringing silence filled their ears.

Hesitantly, Avalanche turned back around. Shocked gasps mixed with cries of relief and joy escaped them.

Meteor and Holy had completely vanished. The Lifestream was slowly flowing back into the earth, the cracks and crevices slowly closing. It was finally finished... Meteor, Sephiroth, Holy...

It was all over.

Tifa and Yuffie were hugging each other and crying hysterically, but not without happiness. Cid, Barret and Cloud were all clapping each others shoulders and laughing to themselves. Nanaki sat on his haunches, quietly as ever while Cait pranced around the airship, occasionally running into things. Vincent stood alone in a corner of the ship.

Everyone turned their eyes toward him, smiling slyly at each other only moments after. They lunged at him and Vincent's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. They succeeded in knocking both him and themselves to the ground after pouncing on him in one great leap and everyone, not excluding Vincent to everyone's great surprise, started to laugh or hug each other.

They stood after the moment of complete and utter silliness and formed a circle facing each other.

"Well, we've done it guys. We did what we thought would be impossible. We saved the Planet..." Cloud started, suddenly trailing off. "Though, this means we'll be going our separate ways..." He looked wistfully at everyone before continuing on, "But, I want us all to stay in touch with each other and get together as often as possible! I think it's pretty accurate to say... We've all become more then friends... We're basically our own really mixed up family." A few of them laughed sadly at the last statement.

"Well..." said Tifa, "I guess everyone should start thinking about where they want to be dropped off, right?" She looked to Cid. "I hope it won't be too much trouble -- to drop us all off, I mean."

"Never trouble, Tif." He sighed. "But you all better figure out where the hell you wanna go, 'cause I ain't waitin' all fucking day!" Everyone laughed.

"Hey! Spiky-boy! Where's my Materia?" Yuffie spoke up, grinning wildly. "I only came on this journey 'cause you promised!" Sighs were heard and everyone walked away from her. "H-hey! Where do you think you're goin'?" She said, running after Cloud's retreating form.

* * *

Later into the night, after almost everyone had been dropped off at their respective towns, one of the only two people left could be found leaning against the railing outside the Highwind, looking at the stars and singing a soft melody.

"What's up, Tif?" Asked a familiar voice. Cloud watched as Tifa jumped in surprise and turned to face him. "Sorry." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh, Cloud... I was just thinking about how Aerith should be here..." She trailed off, sighing and lowering her head. She turned back around and looked at the stars once more. "I mean... She saved us all Cloud. She has every right, even more then us, to be here, but..." She stopped as she felt tears sting her eyes. "It isn't right."

She started when she felt Cloud's arms slide around her waist, but she lay back against him, closing her eyes and savoring what might very well be the only time Cloud would ever show her any sort of affection like he was now.

"I wonder... If she can hear me..." Tifa said, barely audible enough for Cloud to hear, though he did. "I'm sorry Aerith..." She sighed after a moment and turned to face Cloud. "Let's get back inside... We need to get our things ready." She smiled at him and when he smiled back, she took his hand and led the way into the Highwind.

Little did she know, Aerith _had_ heard her and many surprising things were going to be happening only too soon, turning all of Avalanche's lives upside down all over again.

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	2. The Will of the Planet

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 2 - The Will of the Planet_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

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A single soul drifted though the Lifestream. A single soul meant to reside in the Promised Land that never would. A soul overcome by grief and despair. She gave up everything; her hopes and dreams. Her future. She'd given it all up when there'd really been no reason to at all. Holy hadn't worked; her sacrifice had been in vain. The Planet had to save itself in the end, using the souls of the dead. The Lifestream.

Aerith. That was her name. She was the last remaining Cetra, a race that was now forever lost to the world.

She had known all along what were to happen to her and she'd made sure she had come to terms with it; at least, she thought she had. She was finding that she had a lot of regrets and it was difficult to try and live happily. More and more each day, as she watched over her friends from the Lifestream, she felt all of those things she'd missed out on in life weigh down on her. Everything she missed out on, everything she'd never had or tried; it filled her mind and she found it hard to stay the way she was before she'd died.

It was hard to prance around in the Lifestream or the Promised Land like everyone else. She's gotten a good taste of life and, almost, love and it was hard to just let it go. Especially at her age and at how her life was brutally wrenched from her.

She was no longer lively, cheerful and helpful; she'd gone from a slum flower girl to a savior of the Planet to a lonely girl living in what she thought she would grow to love. Gone was her life, her friends, her hopes and dreams. She had played the martyr and was cast aside like nothing. She was no longer needed.

Her thoughts were broken at the sound of footsteps behind her. She tensed and stopped moving for a reason she couldn't even begin to explain.

Then the voices started to shout at her. To what? Run? Hide?

Falling to the ground, clutching and shaking her head, she felt her throat constrict and couldn't make a sound.

She managed to force herself to turn when whatever it was that was with her was standing right behind her. The hem of a black cloak was the only thing she could see, until they seemed to kneel down in front of her. Looking up, she couldn't see a face. She heard something whispered from in front of her and instantly, her vision began to cloud over.

She couldn't stop herself from falling to the ground in a vulnerable heap, nor protest when she felt herself get picked up off the ground; she could only let the darkness take her.

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He once thrived on the hatred he had for mankind and that was usually all he'd had to say to justify what he'd done. To himself, anyway. Now, floating in the Lifestream, a hated and despised soul, he wished he could take it all back; to undo every murder and atrocity he had committed.

Though he knew it could never happen, he still wished.

He wished to be burnt by the flames of hell and to be locked away somewhere for the rest of his days. His soul could not return to the Planet and it was the only fitting treatment he could think of having. To be contained and tortured for everything he'd even done -- those were his wishes.

Sephiroth, that was his name. A name that was once on the front pages of newspapers telling of all the great things he had done. Now, his name was a hated name, a name that people didn't dare to speak and when they did, the spoke it voice thick with hate. A name on a front page of a newspaper with people rejoicing that he was finally off the face of the earth..

Sephiroth started to move, or tried to anyway. Away from where he could look out over and see those people who had defeated him months before. He simply drifted for a while until a sharp pain in his head began to dull his senses. He couldn't think properly any longer; it felt like something was trying to take over his mind. Just like _she_ had.

Jenova.

The pain was beyond excruciating, but he let it take hold of him. It was probably a part of his punishment, he mused and when a figure cloaked in black appeared suddenly before him, he knew that his thoughts must be correct.

A soft mutter was the last thing he heard before his mind was lost and he blacked out.

**

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**

Bright emerald eyes opened only to be met by a blinding white light. Aerith squeezed her eyes shut tightly and turned her face away. She tried to open them just slightly to try and get used to the light and was surprised when she saw something that looked like white silk covering the ground around her.

Her eyes snapped open wide and she sat up in shock -- where was she? She looked down at herself and found a white silk gown replacing her usual pink attire. Moving her head, she couldn't feel the familiar bounce of her braid against her back and she moved a hand up to the back of her head and felt her hair twisted around into a neat bun, held together by her usual pink ribbon. She frowned and began to look around the room once her eyes had focused properly.

Her eyes immediately fell on a figure laying sideways across the floor on the other side of the room, unconscious. She screamed when she realized who it was and found herself subconsciously backing up into the wall. Holding her breath, she shut her eyes when she found that something was preventing her from moving any farther, hoping that her scream hadn't disturbed him in any way. After a few moments of silence, she opened one eye to find him laying in the same spot as before, giving no indication that he had even heard her scream.

Observing him closely, she found that he still had the same ridiculously long platinum hair that he'd had the last time they had seen each other. His battle gear was gone, however, and he was no longer wearing any black clothing. Replacing that, he was wearing white silk pants and a white silk sleeved shirt. A few scars from his last battle with Cloud Strife marred his face, but he was otherwise in good shape.

His eyes suddenly shot open, breaking her thoughts and she couldn't stop the scream from escaping her.

She slowly sat up with a look of confusion before moving his gaze over to her. His eyes widened in shock and disbelief and he looked down at himself before looking back at her.

"What is this?" He asked, clearly baffled by his state of dress and his surroundings.

"I-I-I don't know!" She stuttered, looking away and dearly hoping he would accept that answer.

He fixed her with a glare. "Whatever we are here for, you, of all people,must know."

She looked at him for a moment before quickly averting her gaze. He stood suddenly and began to make his way over to her, looking nothing short then menacing.

"Sephiroth..."

Sephiroth stopped in his tracks, dumbfounded, and looked around for the source of the voice. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Stop."

A figure dressed in beautiful bluish-purple robes stepped out into the light. She had beautiful brown hair that reached past her back and ended in small curls. Her eyes were a clear blue and she had a look of righteousness about her. Tears started to fill her eyes as soon as she laid her eyes on him.

Sephiroth felt himself tense up when her eyes swept over him and he had the strangest feeling. Like he knew her. Why? He had no idea who she was... Or did he? She looked oddly familiar and yet, he couldn't quite piece anything together in his mind or put a name to her face.

Aerith figured she'd seen the flicker of confusion that passed through Sephiroth's eyes because what she said next clearly answered his questions and confirmed the suspicions he had but didn't want to admit.

"I'm... your mother Sephiroth. My name is Lucrecia." She said it so softly, he hardly caught what she said and Aerith simply couldn't hear it, but she was no worse off as she knew the words being exchanged. Tears were flowing freely down Lucrecia's face now and she ran up to him and embraced him.

Sephiroth wasn't entirely shocked when she told him she was his mother. He could sort of... Feel it inside that she was. He had no idea what to do and when she embraced him, he was even more baffled. Somehow though, it felt right having her holding him like this. Not to say it wasn't awkward to him, because it most certainly was.

She pulled away and looked him in the eyes. "I've waited so long to meet you! You have no idea..."

She was suddenly pulled out of her little reunion with her long lost son when she heard the familiar sound of others stepping into the room with them. She turned to Aerith, remembering she was there and smiled.

"It's alright hun... Don't worry." She said to Aerith, knowing that she was having a hard time with this. She gave her a final smile before turning to greet the newcomers.

Professor Gast and his wife, Ifalna, walked into the room as silently and quickly as Lucrecia had. Ifalna was wearing a long red dress with her hair tied up elegantly. Aerith noted that this was the exact same thing she had been wearing on those tapes she'd seen Cloud and company watching so long ago.The professor, of course, was wearing his usual attire; a white lab coat. They quickly made their wayover to Aerith and gave her a hug and a kiss. Ifalna stayed to keep Aerith company while Professor Gast walked over to greet Sephiroth.

"Well, well, well... You sure have grown, my boy!" He smiled at Sephiroth and surprisingly, Sephiroth smiled back, to Aerith great surprise. Gast walked up to him and embraced him in a fatherly hug and Sephiroth embraced him back which surprised Aerith even further.

Sephiroth was at a loss for words. Professor Gast, the only one who had ever been kind to him was standing before him now, embracing him like they were long lost friends. Didn't he realize, didn't he know that he'd killed his own daughter? Sephiroth's guilt was increasing rapidly as the seconds passed; he hadn't known Aerith was Gast's daughter before this true, but it was no excuse. He wasn't sure of how much more he could take...

Gast seemed to read Sephiroth's thoughts.

"Ah, my boy, nobody blames you for killing my daughter... You weren't yourself!" He pulled away from Sephiroth and looked him in the eye. "You need to remember that. Aerith doesn't even blame you, believe it or not." He said, raising an eyebrow at the battle he knew that Sephiroth was fighting internally.

"But... She's your DAUGHTER! I mean, I didn't... You were the only one who was kind to me and I... I repay you by..." He trailed off, turning away from Gast feeling extremely helpless and out of control.

His face resumed it's usual stoic expression.

"Why are we here?" He said with such a cold voice then, that Aerith swore the temperature in the room dropped by a few degrees.

Gast, Ifalna and Lucrecia looked at each other and then looked back at their children.

"Well... There is a new crisis threatening the Planet and…" Ifalna trailed off looking to Gast and Lucrecia.

"We, the Planet included, wish to send you back." Lucrecia concluded. She looked uncertainly at Gast and Ifalna when she saw the looks on Aerith and Sephiroth's, when he turned around, faces.

Sephiroth started shaking his head and backing away from them. "No, no, there is no way in HELL I am going back there!" he said with such finality that nobody seemed to want to persuade him.

Ifalna turned to Aerith and was about to say something but stopped, seeing the look on her daughters face. "Wh-what is wrong with her?" she asked no one in particular, panic rising. Everyone turned to her and they all, save Sephiroth, gasped at what they saw.

Aerith's eyes had fallen into a dark blue hue and she looked like she was in a daze. Ifalna, Gast and Lucrecia started to move towards her when a voice sounded throughout the room.

_**Stop... Don't go near her...**_

"Planet?" Ifalna said with a shaky voice, clearly frightened for her daughter.

_**Just give me a minute with her. Everything will be alright…**_

Ifalna nodded and stepped back along with Gast and Lucrecia. They watched her for only a moment before Aerith's eyes started to fade back into their usual green. Aerith waited for her eyes to focus for a second before asking, very intelligently, "uh... What?"

They all shook their heads and waited for her to speak.

"Well... I guess I'll go back. But..." She looked over at Sephiroth. "Only if you will come with me."

Sephiroth looked completely bewildered. How could she want him with her? He killed her!

"Why?" He said, eyebrows raised. "And what 'crisis' are we talking bout here?"

**_You will know soon enough…_**

Sephiroth was becoming increasingly annoyed. "I never even said I was going back…" He said, trying to control his flaring temper.

Gast saw this and stepped in. "Please, Sephiroth, Aerith is going to need your help! And the Planet needs it as well..." He trailed off, looking at him with pleading eyes.

Sephiroth looked at his mother and she nodded to him.

"Is this going to have anything to do with Avalanche?" He demanded. He saw Aerith's eyes light up with hope and they both looked towards their parents.

Lucrecia and Ifalna looked away and Sephiroth knew it was going to have everything to do with them.

"I refuse to go then." He said, the finality in his voice silencing Lucrecia and Gast from reasoning with him.

Aerith looked towards him, all hope in her eyes gone. "Please, Sephiroth, we have to do this!" She said. She had had just about enough of his ever-changing attitude.

Sephiroth looked at her. "Why would I go back just to end up working with the people who hated me? You do know they killed me for a reason, right?" His temper was finally starting to show.

"Nobody's _ASKING_ you to become best friends with them!" She snapped back at him.

He glared at her and walked over to her. Lucrecia went to move but Gast held out his arm to stop her and at her questioning look, shook his head.

Sephiroth was now looking down at Aerith, undeniably annoyed. "I have no reason to go back there. I would be walking around with people staring daggers at me all day. Tell me, would you want to go back if you knew you would be alone and hated by everyone?" He asked her, voicing his true fears to her without taking notice of it.

"You won't be alone and hated by everyone. I'm going to be there, remember?" She snapped back and turned her back on him.

He looked at her with surprise, eyes now burning into her back. He continued on with his usual cold and uncaring voice, however, "why do you even forgive me, anyways?"

She turned back around, anger evident. "Why wouldn't I? You weren't in your right mind! My father already told you!" She poked him in the chest before continuing. "Or is that going to be your excuse for not wanting to come back with me? Are you too much of a coward to go back?" She interrogated.

He fixed her with a glare that scared her to her wits end, but she refused to let him win. She stood her ground.

"Coward? I am no coward." He retaliated.

"Then prove it! Come back with me." She snapped.

Itlooked like he was fighting a losing battle. He sighed and turned to Gast, Ifalna and Lucrecia.

"Fine. I'll go. But if Strife starts anything..." He trailed off and turned away huffing.

Lucrecia smiled to Aerith and was about to say something when the Planet cut her off.

**_This is good... You will be sent back immediately. Remember to... Help each other._**

The three adults quickly moved over to Sephiroth and Aerith and they hugged one another, saying their goodbyes.

"Sephiroth... I need to speak with you for a moment." Gast whispered.

Sephiroth looked at him and pulled away from his mother, looking at her one last time before following Gast.

"You _need_ to know this. You will both wake up in the places your bodies were last. It's _crucial_ that you remember this..."

**_It's time..._**

"Remember, Sephiroth!" Gast told him.

Sephiroth would have nodded but he suddenly found black spots clouding his vision and he fell forward, the darkness taking him once more.

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	3. A Long Journey Ahead

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 3 - A Long Journey Ahead_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

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Biting cold. That was hardly enough to describe what he felt the moment he regained consciousness. He subconsciously realized that the Planet must have made it to be this way or it simply had no say in the matter. He felt the wind nipping at his throbbing body and couldn't shake the horrid feeling of intense shivering. Gritting his teeth, he was able to force his eyes open but he immediately regretted it. A blinding white light assaulted his senses.

White. It was white everywhere. Shifting his eyes to look away from the painfully blinding light, he found himself gazing up at the sky dazedly before something cold and wet fell into his right eye. He blinked a few times before he clued in. Snow. It was snowing around him, everywhere, in front and behind him.

Groaning, he forced his body to move and struggled to get into a sitting position. His muscles protested but he paid it no mind. He truly felt like he had been run over by a buggy -- or something like that.

Everything that had happened prior to that moment came rushing back to him in a flood of memories.

A flash of pink and white and strikingly beautiful green eyes that matched his own. Aerith. He began to look around him in every direction for any sign that she had been there with him. She was nowhere in sight, unfortunately. He stood up, though reluctantly and began to walk forward, painful as that was. To where he was walking, he couldn't say, but he had to find her. Watching the ground as he walked, he looked for some sign, any sign at all, to quell the unfamiliar feeling in his stomach. He needed to know that she was safe.

No footprints, no disturbed snow... No nothing. Where could she be? A certain conversation came back to him at that moment.

_"Sephiroth... I need to speak with you for a moment." Gast whispered. _

_Sephiroth looked at him and pulled away from his mother, looking at her one last time before following Gast._

_"You _need_ to know this. You will both wake up in the places your bodies were last. It's _crucial_ that you remember this..."_

_**It's time...**_

_"Remember, Sephiroth!" Gast told him._

Sephiroth stopped in his tracks.

"The places our bodies were last?" He said to himself, looking skyward as though he were waiting for some sort of confirmation that he was right.

Digging deep into his memory, he thought about where she could be. Where had she been last? He was unsure of why he couldn't remember this, among many other things, when it suddenly struck him like lightning.

_**The lake...**_

His eyes widened at the thought and he knew he had to move fast. If she ended up waking up and feeling like he had, he knew she wouldn't have the strength to swim to the shore, much less to the surface.

He tried to run but found his energy was quickly diminished. He swore and wondered why the hell the Planet was going to make it so hard to get to her. It did want them both alive, didn't it?

He stood there thinking for a moment. How he could reach her in time, if at all, without running, was quite beyond him. He'd be damned if anyone thought he'd let her die though. The prospect of going to greet the members of Avalanche alone simply didn't appeal to him.

A green glow suddenly enveloped him and he instantly felt better, refreshed. Baffled by this sudden turn of events, he wondered who or what could have done that. There was nobody in sight and he couldn't sense anyone near him...

He looked to the sky and then at ground, narrowing his eyes.

"Ah, it was you _dear_ Planet... Couldn't you have done it sooner?" He said aloud, his first words dripping with sarcasm.

Pushing the thoughts aside, he set off at a run. His instincts told him to run in this certain direction way, though he wasn't sure if he should trust them or not. Still running, he cleared his mind, thinking of nothing else but to get to Aerith.

He ran into a couple fiends along the way but nothing more than a quick movement of his Masamune was needed and he continued on running.

He swore he was going in circles or something of the sort, but realized that the snow was everywhere and it all looked the same. His intelligence was obviously dropping... He rolled his eyes at his own stupidity and used every ounce of energy he had to run faster.

After what seemed like forever, though it had really only been a short amount of time, he saw the Forgotten Capital not too far ahead of him. Picking up the pace, assuming he could of course, he ran straight for it.

"Damn Strife... Had to put her in a lake, didn't you?" He muttered. "Good for absolutely nothing, I see..."

He finally made it to the entrance and, had there been a door, it would have surely have flown off its hinges.

He ran for the main entrance and further to where the overly large conch shell was, silently hoping that she was alright. He saw his reflection in the... Well, he wasn't quite sure of what to call them. All he knew was he could see his reflection in them.

He noticed he had no scars left on his face, or his body for that matter. His hair was filthy and wet, clinging to his skin. 'Quite a sight actually...' he thought.

He finally reached the lake and breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't known he had been holding, when he saw Aerith sprawled half in the water, half on the shore. Walking over to her, he fell down to his knees and pulled her completely out of the water.

He started shaking her, telling her to wake up. He could instantly tell something was wrong although, what that was, was simply not coming to him anytime soon... Something hit him in the heart, though he wasn't sure what it was, when his eyes took her all in again.

Moving his hand to her neck, he checked for a pulse.

Nothing.

Moving his hand to her hand, he checked for a pulse there.

Nothing.

He simply refused to believe it and shook her again. He swore under his breath, wondering if anything worse could happen and realized he would have to use his Soldier training for once. CPR.

Wasting no time at all, he pressed his fingers to her chest, knowing that with his strength it would surely be enough and he pressed down. Repeating a few more times without gaining a response he sighed.

Nothing would ever be easy anymore, would it...

He filled his lungs with as much air as he was sure he could possibly hold and pressed his mouth over hers, transferring the air to her. He wasn't sure how long he continued for but he was sure that after about five minutes he was ready to give up. All the while thinking it was useless, he tried a few more times, still gaining him no response.

He looked at her lifeless face and felt another jolt in his heart. Why though? He suddenly had the urge to continue. Whether it was his thoughts or the Planet's influence, he couldn't be sure, though he wouldn't put it past the Planet. Pressing his fingers to her chest once again, he pressed down three times. Her arm twitched slightly. Filling his lungs with the most air he had filled his lungs with at all in the past ten minutes, he pressed his mouth to hers with a feeling inside him. A feeling that this would work.

He breathed.

He felt her arm twitch again and he sat up straight. Moments later her eyes flew open and she started coughing up water. He rolled her over gently so she was on her side and she rid herself of as much of the annoying substance in her lungs as she possibly could. She instantly began shivering.

Seeing this, he took his trench coat off and wrapped it around her. He saw her eyes fly up to his face, teeth chattering. She regarded him with a dazed look before saying something incoherently.

"Dammit Strife, you had to put her in a lake _and_ somewhere there was no medical treatment..." He muttered, though he was sure she heard him.

Shaking his head, he pulled her closer to him. He told himself it was for the reason that body heat would in the end, help them both. Especially in this weather. He was already sure that she had hypothermia and quite possibly pneumonia. He felt her move slightly and looked down to find her snuggled up against him, eyes closed.

He shook her until her eyes were completely open before looking on ahead again.

"Oh no girl, you are NOT falling asleep. The last thing I need is you never waking up again." He said with the coldest voice she'd heard yet but... She was sure she'd heard some sort of concern in his voice. She glared at him as best she could before shaking her thoughts away. Sephiroth feeling concerned? Though a possibility, she hardly thought he would show it to her of all people. Focusing her thoughts she brought her thoughts back to the task at hand. She needed to find something to amuse herself with so she wouldn't fall asleep.

She settled for the snow that was haphazardly falling all around them. Sephiroth was walking so fast that she could hardly keep up with it though and she found herself becoming bored after a while. She closed her eyes again only to be shaken by Sephiroth for the second time.

Now, he started talking to her.

Laying her head against his chest, she listened to his ramblings until she heard him sigh in relief. She looked ahead of them and saw the end to the Sleeping Forest. They were almost there.

She was so cold... She could hear the Planet singing softly to her and she wanted so badly to fall asleep to its humming in her mind. Even then, the Planet told her to stay awake, with the same stern voice Sephiroth had used. She couldn't risk falling asleep as the Planet had no control over what happened to them anymore, apparently.

She was most surprised by the fact that there had been no fiends in their way. The last time she'd been here with Tifa and Cloud... Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Sephiroth say something.

"Finally..." She heard Sephiroth mutter. She looked to the side to see that they had finally made it to Bone Village. She didn't particularly like it in Bone Village but she knew that they had some of the warmest rooms on the Planet due to their finding so much coal while excavating.

She sighed a breath of relief and felt Sephiroth move forward again. A thought suddenly struck her and she went to speak but was cut off.

"Quiet, Cetra… I'll deal with them myself." He said to her so quietly she had hardly caught what he had said. She gave him a worried glance and he smirked. "No Cetra, I won't deal with them in that way..." She looked visibly relieved and for some reason Sephiroth felt a bit put out.

Walking up to the head excavator, he looked around. He also was aware of this being the place with the warmest rooms and heating supplies around. He was definitely going to be getting what he wanted.

Out of the corner of her eye, Aerith saw a yellow glint come from his hand.

He stopped just short of the head excavator, who's back was currently turned to Sephiroth. Sephiroth muttered something that Aerith couldn't quite hear and she gasped when the man suddenly turned so quickly she was sure he was going to fall over.

The look in his eyes instantly told her what Sephiroth had done and she relaxed. Manipulate Materia.

"We need the warmest room you have along with as many blankets and heating supplies that you have." Sephiroth demanded.

The man looked at Sephiroth for a moment before speaking.

"Y-y-yes.." The man slurred and he turned around dazedly before leading them into the cave.

They walked for a long time before the man showed them to the rooms that the excavators had so intelligently created inside this cave. Turning to look at Sephiroth he slurred something incoherently and stared at him.

Sephiroth pushed passed him roughly.

"Just go get all the blankets and heating supplies, would you?" He said quickly, fixing the man with a death glare. The man instantly ran in the other direction to perform the task.

"Stubborn fool..." He muttered before walking towards one of the rooms. Upon walking in, he surveyed the room.

Paintings of excavations the excavators here were famous for almost completely covered the walls. There was a comfortable bed in the corner along with a few chairs placed around the room. The lamps illuminated almost everything in the room, giving off a soft glow. It looked like nobody had occupied this room for a while as there was dust everywhere and something faintly smelled. Turning his head he saw a door to the bathroom. Walking over to the bed, he lay Aerith down and proceeded to walk over to the door, pushing it open.

The bathroom was huge. _Literally._ The shower was humongous, Sephiroth noted. He was sure it could fit quite a few people in it, still having plenty of room left. The sink was made of marble and the knobs and faucet looked like it was made of something truly expensive. There was a huge amount of space in between the shower and the sink though which was rather convenient. There was also a comfortable looking chair in the corner with a rack to hang ones clothes while they were showering beside it.

Smirking, he walked out of the bathroom and closed the door. Although, he began to wonder why on Gaia they would have such a large bathroom in _this _place. At that instant the man walked in with what Sephiroth asked for, effectively interrupting his thoughts. Without saying anything to the man, he grabbed the stuff and pushed him out the door, slamming the door in his face. Locking it, he turned around.

Aerith was nearly asleep. Striding over he dropped everything on the edge of the bed and shook her.

She moaned and looked at him for a moment before averting her eyes. He saw her scan the room and then look back at him.

"I-I-I'm c-c-cold..." She said, hardly intelligible to a normal human being but Sephiroth was easily able to figure out what she was saying. He regarded her with a quick look before picking her up off the bed and setting her into a sitting position on the edge. He could almost foresee her reaction to his next question..

"Do you believe you would be able to get yourselves out of these clothes?" He said with no emotion at all, secretly chuckling inside.

She looked at him for a moment, completely stunned. Her face was truly priceless.

"W-w-what?" She said, moving away from him slightly.

"You're going to freeze to death if you don't get out of this dress. Take these," he handed her a blanket and towel, "and go and get out of this stupid pink thing."

He stood up and took a hold of her arms, pulling her up.

She was still shivering, though not as bad now. The temperature of the room was obviously helping and Sephiroth felt a wave of relief. He led her to the bathroom and opened the door. He turned the light on and pushed her in, shutting the door.

He walked over to a chair and sat down, waiting. He'd noticed the glare she had given him when he had spoken the words, 'stupid pink thing', and couldn't stop himself from chuckling ever so slightly.

Within the next few minutes, he heard her change quickly and she walked out, covered by the blanket. She held her clothes up and regarded him with raised eyebrows.

He got up once again, sighing, and took her clothes. He laid them out by the fire and turned around to see her in the same spot, shivering and gazing off at nothing in particular. He sighed, frustrated and walked over to her, swiftly taking her into his arms and walked over to the bed.

He lay her down and covered her with the blankets. He grabbed a chair and sat beside the bed, not wanting her to fall asleep until he knew her temperature was normal again.

She turned her face to look at him and smiled. Something inside him fluttered. Confused, he simply looked at her for a moment before looking away.

"Thank you..." She managed to whisper. She felt he deserved at least that much from her, for saving her life.

He looked at her, a little longer then he would have ever intended to and nodded to her again.

"Get some sleep. Your temperature seems normal now." He said while putting a hand to her forehead. She nodded and closed her eyes. Within a few minutes, she was asleep.

He sighed and shifted in his chair. What were these feelings that he was having? Why was he even feeling these things at all? He was immune to emotion and yet... Every time he looked at her he just... No. He wouldn't dwell on it. It was nothing, it had to be nothing.

Pushing the thoughts away, he decided that he needed some rest as well. It had been quite a day, he concluded. So, settling down in the chair, he let the darkness take him.

His last thoughts troubled him to no end. He had no idea what was going to happen to either of them but he was sure he wasn't going to like any of it.

* * *


	4. Unexpected Encounters Part 1

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 4 - Unexpected Encounters Prt. 1_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

The sun was pouring through the window of the villa that Tifa and Cloud happened to live in together and it was beginning to annoy her to no end. She walked over to the window from where she was reading and closed the blinds, effectively shutting out most of the annoyingly bright light.

It had been six months, six long months since the defeat of Sephiroth and the death of a beloved friend, Aerith. Shaking her head and ridding herself of the depressing thoughts, she found herself ending upgazing at a picture on the table. Walking over, she picked up the picture and looked at it closer.

All of Avalanche stood there. Before everyone had parted ways, Yuffie had decided that they needed a picture to remind them of their victory. And their friendship. A warm smile played on her lips and she remembered all the good times they'd had. They truly were their own little mixed up family, Tifa thought, remembering the day that Avalanche had stood on the Highwind after Meteor and Holy had disappeared.

She and Cloud had moved to Costa Del Sol that very same day, both preferring to get the move out of the way so they could just relax. Cid had landed the Highwind not too far away from Costa and all of Avalanche had gone over to the villa to inspect before they made their way to Nibelheim. They found that certain disgusting animals (In Tifa's opinion and to Yuffie and Cait's great liking) had taken residence there and Cloud, Barret and Vincent had cleared them all outas soon as possibleat Tifa's request. They had been staying at Costa ever since, enjoying their time together. Cloud had gotten a job making weapons and they occasionally visited the others, though not often, as the others chose to travel out to Costa most of the time. Who could blame them? The villa was large enough for every one of the Avalanche members to live in, including Elymra, Shera and little Marlene and they were so close to a beach...

Yuffie had gone back to Wutai and had hastily claimed her ninja title. Not too long after, she'd fled her hometown, hoping never toreturn. That hadn't lasted very long though. She had visitedTifa and Cloudthe most out of all the Avalanche members and the last time Tifa had seen her, Yuffie had said that she was busy exterminating monsters from different areas while visiting the others.

Barret, Elmyra, Marlene and Reeve had gone to Corel after the townspeople had finally forgiven Barret for what he'd 'done'. They'd said that they had been misguided by their hatred towards Shinra and had blamed it on him for unfair reasons. They welcomed him back with open arms and everyone was now working together to restore Corel to it's former glory as a coal mining town.

Cid. Tifa shook her head in amusement. After Cid had dropped Cloud and Tifa off at Costa, he had immediately flown to Rocket Town and proposed to Shera. Amazingly, she had said yes. They were currently expecting a little Cid and Shera and nobody could be happier for them. 'Sierra' was the name of Cid's latest airship, as the Highwind had taken quite the beating in the Northern Cave. He still denied that there was any connection between his wife's name and his airship's name. Pure coincidence, he said.

Vincent had called Cloud a few days ago through the PHS. Tifa was quite amazed that he had kept it. He said he was on his way to Wutai and he was going to settle in there. Yuffie agreed to move back there as well to keep him 'company', or so she said. Once Vincent had settled in and Yuffie hadfinally lugged all her stuff back to her house, they had gone to exterminate monsters together wherever they could.

What else did they have to do, really?

The Turks had finally gotten out of those blue Shinra suits of theirs and now ran around to different places, helping in the restoration of towns. They could always be found at the Wutain or Costa Del Sol bars at the end of the day, Reno and Rude drowning themselves in liquor. Elena was always there to keep them in check though, so nobody worried about them too much. They'd all become pretty close, the Turks and Avalanche. It was nice, in a way and very rarely was it awkward. Their pasts were put behind them in the light of a new world.

Tifa's thoughts were shattered at a sound erupting from beside her. She placed the picture back on the table and turned to see Cloud taking his boots off and throwing them aside, letting themhit the walls.

"Way to make a commotion, ne?" Tifa said, a hint of humor in her voice.

She was really pleased with how well things had been going between them lately. They had become a lot closer in the past six months and she was beginning to feel something more than friendship coming from him. Her heart fluttered when he smiled at her and she gave him a loving smile back.

"Yeah, well... Anyways, looked like you were deep in thought before I made this 'commotion' you're talking about, though I really don't know anything about that..." He said, flashing her a quick heart melting grin."What were you thinking about?" He asked.

She turned around to face the picture that stood on the table.

"Just thinking about how everyone had gone their separate ways. It's a little sad really, I think we should have all stayed together." She said, quickly turning around to face Cloud.

"Cloud, let's go visit everyone! We haven't been out of here for a while and... I think we should go and see the world again." She winked to him and he smiled.

"I don't see why not..." He trailed off. "But uh... How? We have no transportation and calling Cid would kind of defeat the purpose, don't you think?"

"Hmm..." Tifa thought for a moment before smiling. "We'll do a Yuffie and Vincent type thing. We'll walk it." She said, silently mocking him. His face contorted in disappointment.

After everyone had parted, he hadn't really been getting his exercise. All the walking that Avalanche had done had been good for him -- All of them! But... He hadn't been keeping up with it afterwards like almost everyone else had.

He gave her an uncertain smile. "Uh... Walk it? Why?" He asked.

She gave him a sly smile.

"It'll do you some good, hun. You'll see. Besides, we need to improve our fighting skills, don't you think? We haven't done that for a while." She turned and walked into the next room without another word, leaving a very sad Cloud standing alone in the kitchen.

* * *

After three days of resting in Bone Village, Sephiroth and Aerith had finally departed, though Aerith was rather reluctant to go.

She had taken it upon herself to buy supplies for them before they left. She tookway too long in Sephiroth's opinion and he had become irate. On top of that, she felt she had to thank every single person there for their kindness. Sephiroth ended up dragging her out of there.

Now they were trudging through the forest outside of Bone Village, battling fiends every few minutes and, to Sephiroth's great dislike, Aerith insisted on calling him by a new nickname. Sephy. It was Sephy this, Sephy that. She was lucky he had no more urges to kill anyone or she would have been the very first.

Every so often she would start singing or slowing down and Sephiroth would tell her to be quiet or stop to wait for her. She hadn't fully recovered during their stay at Bone Village either so she couldn't waste her energy on battling.

After a few hours of walking, Aerith finally fell to her knees and started complaining to him.

"I can't do this anymore! We've been walking for hours, can't we rest?" She asked.

He regarded her with a look before answering her.

"No."

He turned swiftly and walked away, smirking to himself. He then stopped when he didn't hear her follow him and frowned.

He turned and found her in the same spot as before, gazing at him intently. He looked at her for a moment before walking over to her and sitting in front of her.

"Why are you still sitting here?" He asked her with a cold voice.

"I'm not stopping you from going anywhere. But I refuse to go any farther. I'm exhausted." She said with finality in her voice and turned so her back was facing him.

Sephiroth sighed. He knew he hadn't wanted to come back for a reason, especially with this girl. He'd always known that she was a stubborn girl, but he never thought she'd go to such an extent as to argue with him.

He wasn't scared or anything, he knew he could protect both of them without a problem but… He felt uneasy. He couldn't explain why either, he had never felt uneasy about anything in his life.

He sat there for a few minutes, eyes burning into her back, before he finally gave in. There was no way he'd be able to get her to move any farther. Sighing, he poked her hard in the back, secretly hoping to leave some kind of a mark.

She turned around with a huge grin and her face and squealed. She hugged him quickly, feeling him tense up, before settling down and digging through the pack they had received from Bone Village's excavators.

He sat there with wide eyes for second, just staring at her. She hugged him? For something as simple as letting her rest? He blinked a few times and shook his head. He stood and walked over to lean against a tree and keep a lookout.

She had pulled out a water bottle and some food before she spoke again.

"Do you want anything, Sephy?" She asked.

His eye twitched when he heard the name. He gave her a glare. "No and stop calling me that, Cetra."

She sighed and looked at him forcing a glare onto her face. "If you won't call me by my name, why should I call you by yours?" She queried.

He gave her a face before turning away from her.

"Whatever, your loss... But I really think you should eat something Sephy. Wouldn't want you to starve." Aerith trailed off, flashing him a quick smile. She started eating her food and got lost in her own little world.

Sephiroth ignored her last remark as best he could, though his other eye twitched when he heard her say that ridiculous nickname again. He started glancing around the area. He was beginning to feel uneasy again, but this time it was worse then before.

He relaxed a little at the sound of Aerith's soft hummingbefore he heard a rustle in the brush around them. His hand hovered over the hilt of the Masamune the moment he heard the noises and his eyes narrowed; there was something here and it was watching them.

* * *

Two figures ran around wildly, jumping and back flipping offrandom trees,disposing of every monster they saw with a well aimed throw or a round of bullets that never missed their target. Their figures were just a blur through the trees in the Ancient Forest, but anyone could guess who they were when they saw the large shuriken and tattered cape.

The perky Ninja Yuffie, former Avalanche member and savior of the Planet disposed of two fiends and raced forward to find more. She hadn't changed much over the past 6 months; she still loved to prank others and she was always hyper and annoying others. For the most part, anyway.

Vincent Valentine, also a former Avalanche member and savior of the Planet was also racing around with Yuffie. He had become theslightest bit more talkative, but only alittle due to Yuffie's influence, although he usually only talked to Yuffie. He still loved the gothic appearance and his moments of solitude though, it would seem.

Yuffie had challenged him to a match on who could defeat themost monsters in the Forest and they were bothon a roll, jumpingaround wildly and trying to hinder the others' course. They were sure they had set their new record for the amount of time spent on exterminating.

They had gotten a call from their good friend Nanaki the other day, asking for their help. The monsters in the Ancient Forest were acting strangely these days and were even trying to get into Cosmo Canyon. The fact that they were coming from the Ancient Forest made it all the more confusing, as the monsters inhabiting the eerie foresthad never left their haven before.

"Vinnie, how many do_you_ have?"Yuffie yelled out to Vincent, who'd just managed to swing that little bit father out then Yuffie. She glanced in his direction before focusing her attention on the quickfiend in front of her.

"Fifty-seven." He answered back in his usual monotone voice.

Yuffie smiled at him slyly. "Is that all, Vinnie-poo? I have eighty-four! Sucker!"

He looked at her for a second before walking over to her; he'd just finished off another fiend. She jumped into a tree branch after getting rid of the monster and sat down rather ungracefully, swinging her dangling legs. Vincent sat down on a log nearby.

"Yuffie?" He queried.

"What is it monster man? Are you mad 'cause I totally kicked your ass? It's okay Vin-Vin, you'll get your time in the spotlight!" She mocked him, a huge grin plastered on her face.

"Not really. You only got thirty-five. I was counting." He said with a hint of humor in his voice. He looked up at her when a small pine cone hit his head.

"Heyyyyyy! That is so not fairrrrrr! Don't you trust me? The Great Ninja Yuffie never lies!" She said, showing off her puppy dog eyes.

"No. This just proves that." He answered before getting up.

She sat sulking on the tree branch while Vincent looked around for signs of any more monsters. He could feelthe demonsragingin the back of his mind. They felt something different about this forest, as Vincent did.

"How could you not trust me.. We've been living together and hunting down monsters for like.. How long was it? Hmmm.. It's been pretty long, I know that but still.. Pfft, stupid monster men.. Always thinking they're better then other people.. 'Specially Great Ninja Yuffie.." She continued to ramble on to herself but it didn't distract Vincent in the least.

Chaos entered his mind for a moment.

-There's something here..-

'I am aware heathen... But what is it?'

-That stupid girl is in danger you know... But don't try and rescue her... I think we'd all do a little better with that brat gone anyway...-

Vincent looked up in time to see something jump at Yuffie from behind and she apparently hadn't noticed. Moving with amazing speed, he ran over to the tree and grabbed one of Yuffie's feet, pulling her down only to knock them both over.

Yuffie was sprawled out on her back on his stomach and Vincent tried to push her off but she stopped him.

"I don't think so monster man! What the hell was that for? I gotta admit to ya though, good prank. BUT WHAT THE HELL? I WAS IN A TREE FOR LEVIATHAN'S SAKE!" She complained to him.

-MOVE!-

Vincent rolled over taking Yuffie with him just as whatever it was tried to attack them.

With Yuffie on the ground and not causing any trouble, he could now look to see what tried to attack them.

His eyes widened in surprise when he saw it. It looked like a Epiolnis from the Ancient Forest, but it was glowing a bright lifesteam-green and was mutated in some parts of its body. The only thing he could guess was that --

A sudden pounding on his chest brought him out of his shock and thoughts. He looked down at her to find her staring up at him.

"Jeez Vinnie, I know you love me n all but come on! I'm only 17!" She grinned up at him and winked. He stared blankly at her for a moment and resisted rolling his eyes at her lack of attention.

* * *

He was on full alert now. Green mako-enhanced eyes darted around, trying to find where the rustling had come from. Another rustling sound from another direction sent him into another spell of uneasiness. Why though?

Aerith obviously had no idea what was going on because she suddenly started humming. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes and sent a glare her way, but she never saw it. He walked over to her quickly and knelt in front of her, clamping a hand over her mouth. She tensed for a second and try to pry his hand off until he gave her a warning glance. She stopped and relaxed for a moment before she saw something move over Sephiroth's shoulder.

Her eyes widened at what she saw. Sephiroth noticed and turned around to look. Behind him stood two identical lifestream-green glowing Vlakorados' staring at them intently. Sephiroth was sure he had never seen anything like this before, and questions were running through his head.

Is this is crisis on the Planet? It seems so insignificant! Why is it glowing green… and mutilated?

The thoughts continued to spin through his head until he saw one of the Vlakorados' start to move towards them.

A sudden grip on his arm caused him to turn around to see a frightened Aerith. He looked at her for a second before speaking to her.

"Stay here Cetra, got it? If you move I swear you'll regret it..." He whispered to her. Standing up swiftly, he pulled his Masamune out of it's sheath and started to move towards the Vlakorados'.

He stopped just in front of them and stood in his famous battle stance, sword at the ready. The Vlakorados' both went for him at the same time, jumping past each other, teeth snapping. Sephiroth dodged them both only to turn quickly and run between them. He twirled his sword, slashing both the Vlakorados' in the neck.

Back flipping out of the way, he looked up to admire the damage his precious Masamune had inflicted. But he was shocked to find that he had left no sign of the sword ever touching them, even though he knew it had.

"What the hell?" He muttered, narrowing his eyes. He looked at them for a moment before running towards one of them and jumping into the air. He brought his sword right down on it's head but once again, no wound or blood.

He was really confused now. He had just delivered an instant kill blow but.. His thoughts were jumbled until he sensed something behind him. He quickly turned around to find two more green glowing Vlakorados' jumping out of the brush towards Aerith, who was now currently standing and looking around.

His eyes widened and he did the only thing he could.

"Cetra! Duck NOW!" He yelled to her.

* * *


	5. Unexpected Encounters Part 2

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 5 - Unexpected Encounters Prt. 2_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Yuffie lay there, a huge grin plastered on her face. "Gawsh Vinnie, seriously I told you like... A thousand times, I'm only 17."

Vincent blinked once,twice... Ohhhh... Three times before he looked away from her to the Epiolnis' and back to her. "Yuffie... Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Hmmm... You've been lonely too long and you're trying to seduce me. Gawd, I know I'm sexy and all but come on --" She stopped talking when Vincent grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to sit up and turned her to face the Epiolnis'. Her eyes widened.

"HOLY GUACAMOLE!" She screeched. "What the HELL is that, Vinnie? I never saw one of those last time we were here. But... I guess I wouldn't have... I was plotting how I was going to steal your materia. Say, what materia to you have on you now, Vinnie-poo?" She asked him.

One of the monsters started to move closer and Vincent stood up, grasping Yuffie's arm and pulling her up as well. To his greatest dislike, she turned to face him.

"You know Vinnie. I dunno why you're so uptight," she poked him in the chest. "We could kick some Epiolnis ass and you're here acting like we're facing Sephiroth and freaky woman again. Gawsh Vinnie, can't you…"

-Wow.. Does she ever shut up? She is also really kidding herself bout being able to take on those birds... Heh. What a conceited, annoying little...-

'Would you shut up?'

-Fine... But there's two more behind you...-

Vincent felt Chaos leave his mind and he turned around to find Chaos to be right.

Two more identical Epiolnis' were standing behind them. They looked at him with the bright eerie green eyes for a moment before they started to run towards him. The other one in front happened to be doing the same thing.

He glanced at Yuffie who was still rambling on about who knows what, completely oblivious to the fact that three abnormal and dangerous Epiolnis' were running towards them.

-Heheh... Finally, we'll be rid of her...-

'Chaos.. What are these things?'

When the Epiolnis' were close enough to inflict damage, he stopped the one in front with his prosthetic arm and shot at the other two behind them.

He found himself to be overridden by all three of them. His shots seemed to go right through the two nearest to Yuffie (behind them) and the Epiolnis' in front was surprisingly strong, almost knocking him off his feet before he managed to regain his control.

-Why are you asking me?-

'Nevermind…'

He held his own for a moment with the one in front before kicking Yuffie, causing her to fall over. Seeing that she was about to get up, he placed his foot as lightly as possible without hurting her on her stomach to keep her on her back.

"Vinnie what the hell are you.." She saw the two running towards them and then the one Vincent was holding back.

"OH CRAP! Vinnie, why are you holding me down, god dammit!" She yelled at him, only earning a glance. She shut her eyes, waiting for the inevitable to happen until she heard a crack.

She slowly opened one eye to find that Vincent was kneeling beside her and the three Epiolnis' had run into each other.

She sighed in relief before she rolled over to the right, slowly standing.

"So Vinnie, which ones you gonna take?" She stuck her tongue out at him. Pulling out her overly large Shuriken, the Conformer, she stood in a battle stance. She looked over at Vincent and saw he was taking the Death Penalty out.

She smiled. This would be fun.

* * *

"Cetra! Duck NOW!" He yelled to her.

Pushing every thought of not trusting Sephiroth out of her head, she listened to him. She ducked. The two Vlakorados' flew right over her head but didn't stop to try to attack her again. Instead, they ran straight for Sephiroth.

Sephiroth let out a breath of relief that he hadn't known he'd been holding. He had been sure that she wouldn't have listened to him. Thank Gaia she had.

He jumped into the air and the Vlakorados' ran right under him, crashing into the Vlakorados that was behind him. They all ended up falling into the brush surrounding them.

He looked over at Aerith once he was back on the ground, to find her still crouched, in a complete daze. He started to walk over to her when he heard a rustling from behind him.

He rolled his eyes and saw Aerith's head shoot up in fear before turning around to face the Vlakorados' again. They were all out of the brush now, standing as though nothing had happened previously. Sephiroth scowled and was about to move forward, when a sound caught his ear.

He turned to see Aerith clutching her head and mumbling something that sounded like, 'stop screaming...' or 'I heard you, give me a moment...' He gave her a confused look before turning around to find all three dragons running at him and Aerith.

He whipped out his katana and held it in front of him. The impact was a lot stronger then he thought it would be, and he slid back slightly before he regained his proper footing. Damn, they were strong. He was still a bit stronger then them though.

He was barely holding them off and had just started to wonder why these things were so strong when he suddenly felt something jolt through him. He turned at the sound of Aerith gasping, almost expecting to find a Vlakorados hovering over her or worse, but felt somewhat relieved when he saw she was standing up. One of her hands was held to her head in obvious pain while the other was trying to help in balancing her.

"Sephiroth..." She looked up at him. "We need to get out of here." She started walking towards him, when another wave of pain entered her head. She almost fell over again, but fought it a little. By the way she was mumbling, Sephiroth was sure that the Planet was speaking to her or something.

She let out a small scream and fell to her knees, shaking her head. Sephiroth's brow furrowed in confusion. It almost seemed like the Planet was hurting her but... That couldn't be true...

She looked up at him again and he focused his attention on her, while holding the Vlakorados' at bay. He was surprised by the fact that they just stood there and didn't make any moves aside from trying to push him over. Another thought added to the already long list.

"There's nothing you can do to them," Aerith said in a raspy voice. "The Planet said... That this is part of the... Crisis... But, it isn't sure... Of how to stop it..." She was literally gasping for breath. Sephiroth was sure that the Planet's constant screaming or whatever it had been doing was taking a toll on her mental barriers.

"What is it?" He gestured to the Vlakorados' he was holding off.

"The Planet said... To get out of here... Before... I tell you... Anything else... It's too... Dangerous Sephiroth..." She lowered her head for a moment and looked up at him one last time before falling unconscious.

Sephiroth swore under his breath and pushed back at the Vlakorados' with all his strength, effectively pushing them back away from him. Turning abruptly, he ran over to Aerith and scooped her up into his arms before running the rest of the way out of the forest.

* * *

Yuffie fell to the ground unceremoniously, several wounds marring her arms and legs. She laid down on her back.

"Vinnie, you finish 'em. I can't do it anymore..." She said, looking over at him.

"Yuffie, get up!" He yelled back at her.

"WHY? Everything we do seems to go right THROUGH THEM, STUPID! We can't inflict enough damage, if any, to slow them down even in the SLIGHTEST!" She yelled back, making a face at him.

"What do you propose we do then, Kisaragi?" He asked her, shooting once again at the Epiolnis', though no damage was inflicted.

"Hmm... That's a hard one, Vinnie. I guess we should, you know, RUN!" She said, pulling herself up off the ground. "Race ya!" She said to him before turning tail and running off.

He looked at her retreating form in surprise for a minute before realizing that they really couldn't do anything more. He dodged the next two Epiolnis' attacks, jumping over the last one and following Yuffie.

He caught up to her easily.

"Where are we going?" He asked her, sparing a glance at her.

"Well Cosmo Canyon, duh! Geez, Vinnie, did those freaky birds knock some 'o those brain cells out of your head?" She said, flashing him a grin.

He looked at her for a moment before running further ahead of her.

"HEY! No fair! You can't leave me here, what if something EATS ME?" She yelled frantically. "VINNIE!"

It took only a matter of minutes to race out of the forest and into Cosmo Canyon.

"Holy crap, Vinnie. That's the fastest I've run, in my life.." She said, falling over at the entrance to Cosmo Canyon.

"Yuffie... I believe a few calls should be made?" He queried.

"Pft, call 'em youself, Vinnie-poo. Can't you see I'm BUSY." She said.

"Yes. You're eating the dirt." He said in that oh-so-lovely tone of voice he had.

She lifted her face up and glared at his retreating form. A thought slid into her head and she smiled slyly. She pulled herself up and started to slowly walk over to Vincent, her ninja training coming in handy once again. Once she was close enough, she jumped onto his back, causing him to stagger.

"Because you are so rude Vince, you have to carry me! PIGGY BACK!" She yelled in his ear.

"Yuffie, get off me..." He said.

"NO! Now... Let's get going Vinnie. Jeez, you cause so many problems…" She retorted, grinning profusely.

Finding Nanaki proved to be easy, but telling him what they'd seen was another; what were they supposed to say? Yuffie's thoughts went along the 'green and gross and ugly'. Sitting around the Cosmo flame, they told their story as best they could -- rather, Vincent did. Thankfully, Yuffie had stayed quiet and let Vincent tell the interesting story.

"So.. You say they were green in color. Life stream green? And mutated? Strange indeed..." Nanaki said, his wise voice cutting through the silence.

"Yes. I believe we should call the others. They will likely wish to here about this." Vincent said.

"Yes, good idea, Vincent. Yuffie? Would you call them?" Nanaki asked Yuffie, looking at her pointedly. She had done nothing to help them at all during the last discussion. She had likely been plotting some sort of plan to steal their materia.

"PFT! Fine." She said, turning her back on them. She took the PHS out and called Cloud and Tifa first.

A few rings passed before anyone picked up.

"Hello? Tifa Lockheart!" Came a cheery voice.

"Hey Tif. Um... I think we've got a problem on our hands." She said.

* * *

Sephiroth stopped running once he broke through the forest trees, only to find himself in yet another predicament. Getting off this continent altogether. He looked around for anything they could use, the result being that there was nothing.

He swore under his breath for what he was sure was the millionth time today and walked toward the water. He looked down at Aerith, who was still unconscious in his arms.

His forehead creased when a certain thought ran through his head.

'She looks like an angel when she sleeps..'

He was sure he was truly going insane now. He had no idea what they were going to do and yet here he was gawking at an unconscious girl who he had more or less hated before. He shook his head, hoping that the thoughts would be permanently erased from his mind.

His shaking ended up waking Aerith and he sighed internally.

'Great.. The last thing I need now is her up and walking, calling me that... That name...'

Her eyes opened, though slowly. She was immediately barraged by a huge amount of light and quickly shut them. She felt herself being lowered to the ground. She hoped.

After a few moments she opened her eyes slightly, trying to get used to the light. Sephiroth had obviously gotten them out of the forest because she was sitting on what she assumed to be the beach outside of the forest on the Northern Continent.

She looked up at Sephiroth once the light was finally bearable. He was looking down at her expectantly and she raised her eyebrows at him in question.

He ended up rolling his eyes and sat down in front of her.

"What did the Planet tell you, Cetra?"

She sighed and lowered her head for a moment before abruptly raising it.

"Would you stop calling me that? My name is _AERITH_." She yelled.

He was clearly taken aback by her sudden outburst. He saw her look to the side, mumbling an apology.

"Fine. _AERITH_. What did the Planet tell you?" He retaliated.

"Well… It kept on screaming Crisis in my head.. And it said that they couldn't be damaged physically.. I don't know, between the Planet yelling at me and you fighting and all the confusion…" She looked up at him. "Sorry."

He waved away her apology.

"What shall we do now then?" He asked, though he was sure he knew what she was about to say.

She looked at him slightly before looking away.

"Well... Maybe it's time we went looking for Avalanche, don't you think? We knew what the Crisis is now so... I think it would be the only sensible thing to do..." She looked at him with an expression of, 'oh-my-god don't hurt me'.

He looked at her for a moment before sighing and rolling his eyes. He spoke in a cold voice.

"Fine. But I am having nothing to do with Strife." He said.

"That's fine..." She said, wishing that she didn't have to do this.

"Oh, and... Sephiroth?" She said.

He looked at her.

"You're not alone anymore." She said, giving him a genuine smile. "Sephy." She added.

Sephiroth's eye twitched.

* * *

All the members ofAvalanche were currently sitting around the Cosmo Canyon Flame, everyone listening intently to Vincent's story. Yuffie added pointless thoughts sometimes or helped Vincent out when he 'forgot stuff', though, she usually exaggerated.

"And that stupid monster was like, 'RAWR!' and tried to eat Vinnie but the Great Ninja Yuffie saved him! Mwahwahwa..." She looked at Vincent. "Speaking of which, don't you think you should repay me? Some materia maybe…?"

Vincent gave her a glance before continuing on. Yuffie turned her back to him, sulking.

"So, you brought us out here for this?" Cloud asked them.

"Cloud, these are no ordinary fiends. Physical attacks don't inflict any damage and magic doesn't work in the slightest. They're unbelievably strong as well." Vincent relayed.

"Ewwww… They were all creepy looking too..." Yuffie added.

"Do either of you have any idea why they look and act like this?" Cloud asked.

"From what Vincent has said," Nanaki started. "Theywould seemto be mako-infused."

Vincent nodded. "There's no other explanation for it. When a person is exposed to large amount's of mako, they become mutated. You should know that by now." Vincent said. "And your eyes, Cloud, they glow, as do those fiends'."

"Well… I suppose we had may as well check it out. But... Do you think it's going to end up being a big deal?" Cloud asked.

"Yea! What if there ain't nothing' to worry 'bout you foo'!" Barret fired.

"Oh shut up you bunch a'ladies!" Cid said. "It isn't gonna $&#& kill us to go and take a &#& look."

Cloud sighed. "Alright."

"We should probably split up in pairs and look in every area." Tifa said. "We can't afford to have any of these... Things... Attack the towns and people. It's only going to cause havoc amongst everyone."

Cloud nodded. "Alright. Yuffie, Vincent, you two can go together. Red, go with Cait. Barret and Cid, just... Try to work together without seriously damaging one another..." He glanced at the two before continuing. "Tif and I will go to the Northern Continent. Yuff, Vince, you two go to the Eastern Continent. Nanaki, you and Cait can stay here. And Barret, Cid, the Southern continent."

"Maybe we should ask the Turks for help...?" Tifa added quickly.

Cloud thought for a moment.

"We'll worry about that later, if we don't turn anything up." Everyone nodded, agreeing.

"Alright... Let's mos--"

"Cloud, if you say that ($# word, I'm goin to $&$ hit you over your $&$# head with my spear." Cid said, waving his spear around for emphasis.

Cloud backed away slightly. "Okay... Everyone..." He cleared his throat. "Move out!"

Everyone walked out of Cosmo Canyon to their specified destination, having no idea what they were getting themselves into.

* * *


	6. Reacquainted: Enemy and Comrade

**Lost in the Shadows **

_Chapter 6 - Reacquianted: Enemy and Comrade_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Almost immediately after Aerith had suggested that she and Sephiroth find her former comrades, they had begun to try and find a way off the continent they were on. They looked in every possible place they could to try and find something useful to use, but they had so far turned up absolutely nothing.

"Oh my goodness. This is really not happening..." Aerith said, falling to the ground. She brought her hands to her face and shook her head.

"There has GOT to be a way off this continent!" She said, exasperated. She looked at the sky and closed her eyes.

Sephiroth looked at her when she stopped complaining and saw her looking up. 'Must be asking the Planet or something...' He thought. He continued to search even thought he knew it was fruitless.

He heard Aerith sigh and he was sure she was going to be hitting her head against a tree soon.

"The Planet said we have everything we need to get away from this horrid place. But it won't tell me what that everything is!" She fell over onto her back, turning her head to look at Sephiroth.

"What do you think, Sephy?" She asked him, seeing his eye twitch yet again at her nickname for him. She smiled.

"I'm not sure. If it's here, we should be able to find it." He looked at her.

"So why don't you continue looking instead of sitting there doing nothing."

She gave him a glare.

"This 'search' we've been doing hasn't given us anything. I don't want to look anymore..." She said, rolling over.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. Sometimes, he wasn't so sure that she was the same driven flower girl from before. She whined constantly, she complained, she came up with annoying nicknames... Maybe it was just him and his very bad luck or maybe the whole 'lifestream' experience had changed her somehow.

Deciding that Aerith was probably right, he walked over to her and sat down beside her.

"What do you propose we do then, Aerith?"

Shewas startled slightlywhen he said her name. This was a change. She rolled back over to face him slowly and eyed him carefully for a moment but decided that maybe he was just having a 'Sephy' moment.

"I don't know! I wish the Planet wouldn't be so... So... Vague!" She said. She stood up suddenly and stomped her foot. She started walking towards the beach and into the water.

_**Aerith was staring out at the sea, hair whipping wildly, thought it didn't faze her in the least.**_

_**"Would you like to swim across the ocean?" Sephiroth's voice cut through the air like a knife. She rolled her eyes. So what if she didn't want to look anymore? It wasn't helping them.**_

_**She turned around to face him.**_

_**"Be quiet, Sephy!" She scolded him.**_

_**His eyes narrowed slightly before a smirk crept onto his face.**_

_**"You know, it's not that bad an idea. It wouldn't take me very long, can't say much for you though." He smirked at her.**_

_**"Don't be silly, Sephy. We can't swim in that!" Aerith shot back.**_

_**"And why not?" He asked.**_

_**"Well.. It's cold for one. And I don't wanna make any new fish friends anytime soon. Besides.." She trailed off.**_

_**"Besides?"**_

_**"I can't swim.." Aerith mumbled.**_

_**"Oh, perfect, now I have something to use against you one day, assuming that day comes." He smirked and walked off to continue his searching.**_

_**She watched him walk away for a moment before running to catch up to him.**_

Sephiroth watched her for a moment. He had heard her right when she'd said she couldn't swim, didn't he? Or maybe he was losing it again. Why would she walk into the water, knowing fully well that she lacked the ability to swim.

'I think too much...' He thought.

She raised her face to the sky again, probably begging for the Planet to tell her what to do. He couldn't agree with her more, actually. Even just the concept of staying shacked up on this continent for days with her, trying to find a way to get off it, was not appealing in the slightest.

His eyes narrowed. 'No. No way in hell.'

Aerith's sudden movement brought him out of her reverie. She had turned so fast he was amazed she stayed perfectly upright.

'Heh... Probably saw a fish that wanted to be friends with her...' He smirked. But when she was almost in front of him, he was a little disappointed to see she was smiling. No bugging the Cetra right now...

"Sephy! The Planet... -pant- Told me how... To get off -pant- the continent!" She managed to say.

He raised an eyebrow, indication that he was listening.

"You can still fly, right?" She looked at him with such hope in her eyes, the thought of saying no was... Well... He wouldn't be able to.

'Wait... Bad thoughts...' He thought.

"I'm not sure..." He said. "But if the Planet is telling you that I can, why are you questioning it?" He asked with a bit of humor.

She blushed. She's always followed the Planet without questioning, he was right.

"Er... Whatever. Stop bugging me!" She shouted.

"Seriously, Sephiroth! Can you?" She asked.

He thought for a moment. Could he? Time to find out.

"I don't know. I guess I'll have to find out." He said.

He stood for a moment, motioning for her to stay out of his way. He concentrated, using the strength of his mind to propel him upwards. He opened an eye and saw that he was looking at the top of the forests' trees. A cruel thought entered his head and he smirked.

"Eeeee! I knew you could!" She said.

"So let's get going?" She looked up at him. He was smirking.

"Oh no no no no you are notttt leaving me HERE!" She screeched.

"I don't know, the idea is rather appealing to me. I wouldn't have your constant babbling, singing, INSANE nicknames… Blissful..." He trailed off. He put heavy emphasis on insane.

"Sephirothhh..." She pleaded with him.

"You really want to go and face Avalanche on your own?"

"I guess that's the price I'll have to pay." He said, chuckling slightly at the look on her face.

"SEPHIROTH! Get down here NOW! Or --"

"Or what?" He asked.

"Oh... I don't know…" She said, falling down to the ground and sighing.

"Fineee... Leave me here you big jerk!" She said.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. As IF he was going to see the bunch of misfits on his own. No, he wouldn't be able to hold back from killing the lot of them. He began to lower himself down to the ground in front of her.

She was still looking at the ground when he walked up to him.

"Let's go, Cetra. We don't have all day." He clipped.

She still refused to look up and so he knelt down and lifted her head up. He was absolutely shocked to see the tears brimming her eyes.

"I… W-w-what are you... I mean --" He stuttered.

"You were going to leave me here, weren't you? If it weren't for the Planet and your mother, my father, everything, you would leave me here, wouldn't you?" She choked out.

He stared at her in utter disbelief. He always knew he used to hate humans for a reason. Emotions. Especially women. Like Aerith. Always crying.

Aerith looked at him for a second before bursting into laughter. NOW Sephiroth was REALLY shocked, but it only seemed to make her laugh harder.

"Oh my -- gosh -- you actually -- fell for it!" She struggled between breaths just to get those words out of her mouth.

Sephiroth's face went red when he realized what had just happened. He shook with slight anger and looked at Aerith, eyes narrowed.

Aerith saw this and tried her hardest to stifle her laughter.

"Oh, I'm sorry Sephy. Don't be such a baby, I just had to do it!" She said, getting to her feet. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Come on! Let's go! You're such a turtle, Sephy." She said.

He stood to his feet and took her arm, pulling her over to the shore. He stopped when he was near the water and pulled her towards him. He crushed her into an embrace.

"Try not to move." He said, clearly annoyed.

He felt her nod and closed his eyes. He concentrated again and felt his mind propel him into the air. Opening his eyes, he found himself hovering over the water.

Aerith looked down, only to let out what one could call a squeal before tightening her arms around Sephiroth's neck and burying her head into his shoulder.

"Heheh... Don't look down." He said.

He flew off over the sea, to where, they were both unsure of at the moment.

* * *

"What in the &$& hell are we $&$ looking' for! I'm gonna kick Spike's $$# ass all the way to the $&$ moon and back!"

Cid was pissed. He and Barret had been walking around the forest searching for who knows what, a fictional fiend? They hadn't found a thing and Barret was being so &$ annoying...

"Shaddup you foo'!" Barret shot back. He was just as angry as Cid at the moment.

Cid's constant smoking and cursing was getting on his nerves. At that moment, he wished he'd thrown his stupid PHS away so he wouldn't have gotten Yuffie's call. He wouldn't have had to leave his little Marlene alone with Elmyra again.

'Not that she's not good with her,' he thought.

"You not the ony' one with &# problems you nicotine bag!" Barret shot at him.

"What'd you say you mother $&$ &$&!" Cid yelled at him.

"I was saying how you become moody ever since we got to this damn island!" Said Barret, sending him a glare.

"You needa a cig, my $& friend." Cid said to him, throwing a packet at his face. Cid started laughing.

Barret glared daggers at him. He lifted his gun arm and pretended to get read to fire at him. He really didn't need Cid's bad-mouthing right now.

Cid was obviously oblivious to the fact that Barret's gun arm was focused on him because he suddenly did one of the stupidest, yet... Well, whatever, things he'd ever done.

"Yo, Barret, you wanna play a $$$ game of 'Go $$ Fish'?" Cid asked him, digging in his pockets. To Barret's surprise, he pulled a pack of cards out of his pocket.

"Man, why didn't you just say so?" He said, walking over to Cid.

"I'm gonna kick your $&& ass, man." Cid said, sitting down.

The game of course, did not end as planned.

"You're a &(& cheater, you $$$!" Cid yelled.

"What you talkin' 'bout foo'! I kicked yo' ass fair an' square!" He retaliated.

"You're a $&$ liar and you know it!" Cid said.

"Let's just get back to the $#$ Sierra. I can't put up with this $&$ shit any longer..." Cid said, promptly taking out a cigarette.

"Whateva' man." Barret said, shaking his head.

* * *

Nanaki was currently trying to find something to amuse Cait with. It was obvious to him that Cait would be doing nothing whatsoever to help in the search for these fiends and to have him amused would keep him out of Nanaki's way.

He and Cait had decided to stay away from the Ancient Forest considering the fact that they already knew the fiends were there. Instead, they headed off to the Nibel mountains and further onto the forest near Rocket Town. They had come up with nothing so far and Nanaki was beginning to wonder if there were no fiends here at allbecause they had only just shown up altogether.

"Cait, what are you doing?" Nanaki asked him. It looked like... Cait was trying to climb up a tree though he was failing miserably.

"I'm TRYING to climb up the TREE if you really can't tell." Cait said. He jumped on to Nanaki's back after several more tries.

"Why are we still searching, Red? Maybe Yuffie's hanging out with Vincent not only messed her up in the head some more, but it's affected Vincent too!" He said.

"I highly doubt such a thing would ever happen, Cait. Stop touching my nose, please." He answered back.

Just because Cait loved to annoy Red, well, everyone, he kept on touching his nose. When Nanaki growled after six times, he stopped only to start dancing and prancing on his back.

Nanaki suddenly jolted forward and jumped off trees, effectively causing Cait to fall off his back. He sat down and cocked his head to the side.

"What's wrong, Cait?" He asked, an innocent look plasteredon his face.

All he got in response was an incoherent mumble.

* * *

Tifa trudged through the piling snow on the Northern Continent. They had traveled through the forest in Bone Village and had turned up nothing but a feet prints in the snow, though it was almost already covered by new snow.

Who or what the prints belonged to, was still a mystery.

They had been walking towards Icicle Inn for the past 30 minutes and had still turned up nothing. No tracks, no mako, no nothing.

Tifa looked forward. They were almost at Icicle Inn. 'Thank god,' she thought. Any more time in the snow and she was sure she'd freeze to death. She was shivering like mad and trying her hardest to keep up with Cloud.

Despite the fact that she had changed her clothes so she was... Better suited for the weather on this continent, the cold was hitting her like she was wearing nothing!

Cloud had obviously noticed she was falling more and more behind because he stopped and looked at her.

"Tif, are you okay?" He asked her, concern seeping through the seriousness.

"Y-y-yea. I'm f-f-fine. D-don't worry." She managed to say. The shivering was starting to increase.

He saw this and walked over to her. Putting and arm around her shoulders, he urged her forward.

"We're almost there, we're almost there." He whispered into her ear, planting a kiss on her cheek.

Her shivering had almost completely stopped which filled him with slight relief. They weren't quite there yet. It would probably take another 20-40 minutes but if she wasn't shivering, it was better than nothing.

She lay her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes slightly. She was so tired... So tired...

"Tif, you have to stay awake." Cloud said, nudging her slightly.

"I'm so tired... And cold..." Tifa trailed off.

Cloud sighed. He scooped her up into his arms and continued to walk, albeit a little faster, toward Icicle Inn with Tifa falling asleep in his arms.

* * *

Yuffie and Vincent walked around, constantly on alert. Yuffie stayed close to Vincent, latching onto his arm every now and then, for fear that one of the fiends would jump out at her and take her by surprise.

"Vinnie. What would you do if I got eaten by one of those fiends?" Yuffie asked, finding nothing better to talk about.

Vincent glanced down at Yuffie for a moment before looking forward.

"I don't know, Yuffie." He said.

Yuffie pouted at him. She was obviously not getting any answer out of him THIS way. Time for better tactics...

"Vinnie? Vin? Vince? Vincy. Vinnnniiiiieeee!" She whined.

He sighed. Yuffie did an internal victory dance.

"So? What would you do?" She pressed.

"The situation isn't going to present itself. So, nothing." He said, and walked onwards without her. She stood there gaping at him. She put on a determined face and stomped after him.

"Hey! That doesn't count Vin-Vin!" She said.

"Yes. I believe it does. You wished for an answer. I gave you one." He said, wondering how many nicknames she had given him.

"NO! YOU GAVE ME A STUPID NON-RHETORICAL THINGY! Whatever the hell you say!" She said, trying her best to imitate his 'stupid', as she thought it to be, vocabulary.

He regarded her for a moment with what looked like amusement in his eyes before a thought popped into his head.

"Okay. Yuffie. Assuming I let it happen, though not intentionally, I would cry, never go on with my life, stay locked up in our house and attone for my greatest sin. Letting you die, be eaten."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her shocked face.

-w00t! Go Vin-Vin!-

'...'

"Aw... Vinnie you're so sweet!" She gave him a long, tight, almost too tight, hug and then looked up at him.

"Okay monster-man. We aren't going to find anything down here so… Let's head back." She said. Latching onto his arm again, she dragged him all the way back out of the forest they were in, toward the town of Kalm.

* * *

When Sephiroth had finally descended and put Aerith back on the ground, she was... Well, overjoyed would be an understatement.

"Oh. My. God. THE DIRT!" Aerith squealed. She fell to the ground and put her hands out on the dirt, closing her eyes.

"The Planet seems a bit... Better?" She mumbled.

Standing up, she looked around.

"So Seph, where are we?" She asked him.

He scanned the area. There weren't any towns nearby, just endless fields so he had nothing to go by. He hadn't really been watching where they had been going, which direction he had been flying in. He just... Flew. First sight of land, he... Landed.

Sighing, he motioned for her to move back. She did. He closed his eyes and concentrated and he was, once again, propelled into the air. He rose higher and higher after he opened his eyes, high enough to see far across whatever continent they were on. They were on the Eastern continent. He saw Kalm not too far away, as well as Midgar. Or what was left of it, anyway.

He grimaced when he saw it. Midgar Ruins. The city of ultimate destruction.

He descended and motioned for her to come near him. She did, though reluctantly. He could tell she either didn't like heights, or the thought of flying over water, lest he drop her -heheh- or something go wrong, simply wasn't very appealing.

"We're going to Kalm. It's not that far." He said.

She nodded.

It had taken a bit, but the finally made it to the unusually crowded town.

"Finally. Now we can go to an Inn! With a bath and food and beds and..." Aerith exclaimed, turning to face him.

He regarded her for a moment before looking at their surroundings. Kalm had grown quite a bit over the span of 6 months. It had become a bigger town --no, not a town --a city. There were plenty more shops and definitely more people. He figured that it was due to Midgar's refugees being scattered over Gaia.

"Straight to the Inn then?" He asked Aerith.

She looked to the side.

"Well... I was kind of wondering if we could get... Something to eat?" She asked.

"Fine... How, without alerting so many people, is beyond me though." He said, leading her towards the shops.

"This place sure has grown Sephy. Go figure, 6 months. And before, even after being here for so long..." She trailed off, clearly ignoring his previous words.

Suddenly, her face brightened.

She turned around to face Sephiroth.

"Hey! Do you think we could try to find my mom? She was here with Barret's little girl, Marlene, last time I had spoken with anyone or watched them from the Lifestream. I think she's probably still here." She queried, pleading.

He looked at her.

She looked at him.

He blinked.

She blinked.

Sephiroth let out a sigh.

"Yes! But, of course..." Aerith started.

"One. Thing. At. A. Time. Cetra." He said, pronouncing each word clearly.

She gave him a quick smile and turned to walk into the shop when something unexpected happened. Two figures were walking out of the shop she had been about to walk into.

Those two figures, happened to be Yuffie and Vincent.

Aerith tensed and she was sure Sephiroth had as well.

Yuffie and Vincent saw both of them and stopped dumbfounded in their tracks. They stared for a moment and looked at each other before quickly looking back. They knew no other person to have those eyes. It couldn't be anyone else.

The four stood there in impeccable silence.

* * *


	7. Reunion

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 7 - Reunion_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Yuffie was... What word could describe the intense feeling forming in the pit of her stomach?

Dread. Disbelief. The feeling that she was DEFINITELY going insane.

She looked over at Vincent, who, despite saying he could feel no emotion, was standing there, his jaw looking like it was about to hit the floor.

The uneasy looks coming from the two standing across from them was almost enough to let Yuffie know that this couldn't be them. They were just cosplayers or something, they had to be. But the nagging in her head, the constant barrage of those green eyes were just overpowering her brain to the point where she couldn't take it much longer.

She turned to Vincent. This was the only way...

"Vinnie?" She asked.

He looked at her for a second before quickly looking back at the two standing in front of them.

"Yes?" He replied, monosyllabic once again.

Yuffie frowned.

"You know. I think what everyone's been saying about me is true. I AM crazy Vinnie! I'm craaaazzzzyyy!" She half said, half yelled.

Vincent looked at her with what looked like... Amusement?

"VINNIE! THIS IS NO TIME TO BE SILENTLY LAUGHING!" She screeched.

Several people stopped to look at them. It was then that Yuffie began to wonder. Why on Gaia weren't these people RUNNING? The man who had tried to destroy the Planet and the people on it was standing in the middle of a rather crowded street.

"Yuffie, calm down. I can see them too." He said.

Yuffie's eyes widened and she gasped for something to say.

"Oh. My. GAWD. I'm affecting you too! Oh my gawd, oh my gawd, oh my gawd!"

It turns out, the 'cosplayer' in the pink dress with the stunningly familiar emerald green eyes decided to end it right then and there, despite her promise to the man standing behind her.

"Yuffie, calm down." Aerith said, slowly walking toward her.

Yuffie was surprised when Vincent relaxed. She looked up at him and he nodded to her.

It couldn't... She was... No...

"Yuffie it's okay. I'm back.." She said, holding out her hand.

Yuffie's eyes brimmed with tears and she ran into Aerith's open arms. 'Gawd, how I've missed her...' She thought. The unexplainable reason behind Aerith and her murderer showing up was completely wiped from her thoughts as she sobbed silently into Aerith's shoulder.

"Yuffie. I need you to listen to me." Aerith said, sparing Vincent a glance.

"Why... How... You can't be... Here? I mean..." Yuffie stuttered.

Aerith took her arm abruptly and Yuffie became silent once again.

"I know this must be... Difficult to grasp, but Sephiroth and I are back. We're back for a reason. I need you to listen." She said.

"You and Vincent need to call the others and tell them to meet...?" Aerith started.

"Cosmo Canyon?" Vincent queried.

"That's fine. All of you need to be there. There's something very wrong with the Planet right now. Sephiroth and I will meet you all there, alright?" She pleaded.

Yuffie took everything in. She looked to Vincent after a moment and decided she needed to do something first.

"Uh... Vinnie and I need to have a short chat. Just wait a sec, k?" Yuffie said. Without giving Aerith a chance to say anything, she turned, grabbed Vincent by the arm and walked a short distance away.

"Vinnie, what're we gonna do!" Yuffie asked. Quickly sparing a glance at the two, she continued on.

"What about Cloud? Tifa? Barret? They seem to have some problems with that dark and brooding dude over there. How're we, no, how're THEY gonna be able to talk some sense into our lovely little friends?"

Vincent thought for a moment before sighing.

"Yuffie, we have no choice. If they are here, it must be important." Vincent said.

"Alright..."

They walked back over to Aerith, who was now conversing with Sephiroth.

'It looked like a pretty heated conversation too, you tell 'im, Aerith!' Yuffie thought. She tried to stray from his gaze and stood the farthest away from him.

They stopped their conversation immediately when Vincent and Yuffie had made their way over to them after a few minutes.

"Alright, we'll do it..." Yuffie whined.

"We will meet you at Cosmo Canyon." Vincent said.

Aerith gave them one of her cheery smiles and bid them goodbye before looking at Sephiroth. She had known he hadn't wanted to converse with any Avalanche member so soon and she was sure she'd be getting the brunt end of it now. To her surprise, no such thing happened.

"So... Are we still going to get something to eat?" Aerith asked.

Sephiroth looked at her for a moment, contemplating on whether or not they should. Eventually, he sighed, knowing she'd probably complain about it later on.

She squealed and ran into the diner with Sephiroth following closely behind.

* * *

Vincent wasn't sure of anything now. This explained his and Choas' uneasiness earlier in the forest. Those fiends they had encountered had something to do with it too, he was sure of it. Both he and Yuffie hadn't really bothered to be wary around Sephiroth, he was after all, back here with Aerith.

-Heheh... You know, you're pretty slow.-

'What?'

-Well.. Took you long enough to figure out what you were so uneasy about. And the Sephiroth.. Do you really think this is right? Safe?-

'It's hardly my decision. Now, quiet heathen.'

All he got in response was a slight mumble from Chaos before he moved back into the recesses of his consciousness.

Yuffie had been dragging her feet behind her the whole time after they had left Kalm. It was going to take them long enough to get to Kalm and here she was, making it an even longer trip.

"Yuffie." Vincent said, turning to face her.

She looked up and narrowed her eyes at him. It took him by surprise for a minute.

"Why are you dragging your feet? And why are you so... Angry? Aerith is back, you should be happy about that." He asked.

She shot him a glare before running up to him. She sighed.

"It's not that I don't want her back here. But, if she's back, Sephiroth too, that means there's definitely something wrong with the Planet! I figured after the defeat of the psycho dude we'd be able to settle down..." Yuffie rambled.

Vincent sighed. She certainly had a point. What could possibly be so wrong that the Planet would have to send Aerith, the last Cetra, mystical magic user and Sephiroth, the strongest human to have ever lived, back to the land of the living?

"Not to mention the fact that my wonderful materia is at risk! I mean, what if someone tries to steal it? Vinnniiieee!" Yuffie whined.

Vincent resisted the urge to roll his eyes. How could she be worrying about materia when the Planet was once again in danger.

"Yuffie, how could you possibly worry about your, no, AVALANCHE'S materia at a time like this?" Vincent asked.

"Oh my goodness, Vin-Vin! You should know by now that materia rules us all! Especially me!" She said, winking.

Vincent continued walking on without her, Yuffie following shortly after. A thought suddenly struck him and he stopped mid-step.

"Yuffie, why is it that nobody feared Sephiroth when he was standing in the middle of Kalm's busiest streets?" Vincent queried.

Yuffie thought for a moment. Now that she thought about it...

"Yea! I know. It was weird. I mean, he practically had the label, 'MASS MURDERER, BEWARE' taped on his face. Did you see how he was smirking at us. Ugh!" Yuffie said.

"You did call everyone, right?" Vincent asked.

Yuffie was taken aback for a moment at the sudden change of topic but quickly regained herself.

"Yup! Everyone's gonna meet us there! They should be there in no time." Yuffie declared, running ahead of Vincent.

'I wonder how everyone is going to react? I kinda wish I didn't have to be there..' Yuffie thought.

* * *

"You know, they didn't greet you very well. In fact, they didn't look very happy to see you. That girl started crying." Sephiroth sneered.

"They were shocked. And YUFFIE. Yes, remember her name. Yuffie was... Well, she's just a teenager you know." Aerith said. "She was happy. We were really close once, sisters almost."

"Suree..." Sephiroth shot back.

Aerith fixed him with a glare before walking forward.

'So, someone finally knows. I wonder how Cloud's going to react when he finds out... When we see each other.' Aerith mused. She felt bad because she knew that Tifa may end up hurt, but she couldn't help it! She'd always had feelings for Cloud. Although, it seems her interest in men was taking yet another turn...

"Cetra... Cetra... Cetra!" Sephiroth shouted.

Aerith snapped out of her reverie and looked at Sephiroth. He was smirking at her.

"What?" Aerith asked, confused.

"A few more steps and you'd have been walking in water." Sephiroth said.

True to his word, Aerith looked out and saw water spreading out into the horizon. They had left Kalm a little while ago and she found herself wondering how they'd walked so fast. She frowned.

"Oh."

"Yes."

They stood their in silence for a bit. They were finally going to go and meet Avalanche, to tell them everything. Sephiroth wasn't all that fazed. 'If Strife were to start anything, he'd get what was coming to him,' he'd said. Aerith on the other hand was anxious. She wasn't so sure that her meeting up with them could result in a good or bad way.

"Well. I guess we should leave." Sephiroth stated, grabbing Aerith. Once again, they were flying across an endless abyss of blue water.

* * *

"Why did you call us here, Yuffie?" Cloud asked, annoyance seeping through his usually calm voice.

"I TOLD YOU chocobo-head! There's something important you need to hear... And see." She said.

"Yuffie is right. It shouldn't be too long." Vincent added.

"Sure as hell better not be too $& long!" Cid cursed.

"I'm with the foo' here! We have places we need to be, Spike!" Barret said, pacing around the Cosmo Flame once again.

"Maybe we should all just sit and relax." Red said, obviously fed up with his team members' behavior. 'Honestly. They're supposed to be adults.' Red thought.

'Although...' Nanaki thought, watching as Yuffie stood behind Vincent with some tape. 'One of us truly never will grow up...' He smiled when she unrolled a bit of it and caught Vincent of guard (surprisingly!) and wrapped tape around his forehead.

Tifa was the first to notice a figure walking through Cosmo Canyon's entrance. A strikingly familiar pink dress and red jacket came into view followed by the green eyes and ribbon of a long lost friend.

"W-what?" Tifa half whispered, half screamed.

Everyone stopped their bickering and chatting at once and followed Tifa's gaze.

Cloud's jaw hit the floor. Barret and Cid cursed violently. Red stood there and cocked his head to the side. Yuffie and Vincent wore neutral expressions.

Before anyone said anything, Yuffie ran up to Aerith.

"Aerith.. They may not take this too well... Where's the mass-murderer?" Yuffie asked, remembering her earlier statement.

Aerith gave her a short glare due to Yuffie's nickname for him but answered none the less.

"He's... he's coming once I'm finished with them." Aerith said, sidestepping Yuffie and walking forward. Yuffie watched her retreating form with a new sense of dread. Something was bound to go wrong.

"Aerith... Oh my god, this can't be..." Tifa managed to gasp. She took a few slow steps toward Aerith before running over to her. They both embraced in a sisterly hug and Tifa started crying.

"It really is you..." Tifa sobbed.

Aerith pat Tifa on the back and whispered in her ear, telling her to calm down. Her attention never left Cloud's face though. She could see that he was in pure shock of the situation presented to him.

"You... No." Cloud started, suddenly spinning on Yuffie. "You knew? Why didn't you tell us, we had a right to know!" His shock had turned to anger fairly quickly.

Vincent decided to step in before Aerith could speak.

"Cloud. This is not Yuffie's fault. We were discreet on Aerith's wishes." He said.

Cloud sent an apologetic look towards them and mumbled a sorry. He walked up to Aerith.

"You... You came back? But... How? Why?" Cloud asked.

Aerith let go of Tifa and walked up to Cloud. She looked him in the eyes for a second before turning her attention to those behind him.

Cid and Barret were at a loss for words and she figured they were questioning their state of mind. Red wasn't all that surprised, like he had known something was going on.

"I... Will explain all that in a moment. First..." Aerith said.

"Uh... Guys, gimme your weapons!" Yuffie chanted.

"Yes. Give Yuffie your weapons for now. Please." Aerith pleaded.

Cloud obviously didn't like the way the conversation thus far was going.

"Why?" Cloud asked, skeptical.

Aerith gave him a look and he sagged his shoulders. He turned to everyone and nodded. He unstrapped his own weapon, the Ultima Weapon, and handed it to Yuffie.

Everyone did the same and stepped back to where they had originally been sitting.

"Alright... I'll only be a... amoment." Aerith said, turning and walking toward the entrance.

Once she reached it, she saw Sephiroth pacing. She threw him a questioning look but he hadn't caught it. He was too busy doing what he was doing to notice.

"Sephy?" Aerith said.

He turned to her like he'd been slapped.

"Oh. It's you."

'How did she get here without my hearing her? Just great... I'm losing my touch..'

"It's... It's time. Come on." Aerith said, holding out her hand.

Sephiroth eyed her hand for a moment before walking right past her. Aerith felt a sudden pang of disappointment and sadness inside her and she frowned. What was this?She shrugged to herself and quickly followed after him.

The gasps of horror and disbelief from the others were enough to make her cringe. It seemed like they bounced right off Sephiroth though. His usual stoic façade was implanted on his face and he walked with his usual authority.

"Yuffie! Give me my sword, now! Aerith, get away from him." Cloud yelled, instantly springing into action.

Aerith shook her head and continued to walk forward, Sephiroth now trailing her.

"Dammit foo's! Move outta' the way!" Barret said, aiming his gun arm at Sephiroth. Aerith immediately stepped in the way though, causing him to lower it. A look of confusion crossed his face.

"Damn girl! What the $& do you think you're #$& doing!" Cid yelled. His cigarette had long fallen out of his mouth.

"Stop it you guys." Aerith said.

Everyone was silent.

Yuffie pitched in.

"Yea! Shut yer holes!" She said, smirking at Cid's red face.

"Aerith! What are you doing, what are you thinking?" Cloud said. To say that he was angry, would be an understatement. He was furious.

"Listen to what Aerith has to say, Cloud. Barret. Cid." Vincent said. He was extremely calm despite the tension in the air.

Cloud spun on him.

"_You_ SHOULD have told us about HIM! There is NO excuse for this one." Cloud shouted.

"Cloud--"

Aerith's reasoning was beyond him now. How could Vincent and Yuffie betray him? Betray all of them?

"How could you do this to us, Yuffie, Vincent. We trust you with our lives and yet you didn't tell us that our greatest foe is back in the land of the living!" Cloud continued.

"HEY, CHOCOBO-HEAD! Back off! It was for your own good, telling you anything wouldn't have helped the situation." Yuffie clipped.

Cloud spun on her and moved towards her. The anger he was feeling was coming off him in great waves. Yuffie stood her ground none the less.

Cloud didn't get very far.

"Strife, stop acting a fool." Sephiroth's voice cut through the air.

"Seph--"

Again, Aerith's reasoning was beyond any of them.

"What? You have no right to be here." Cloud snarled.

"You have no choice in the matter." Sephiroth replied.

"Stop this. Please." A feeble voice sounded.

Everyone's gaze moved toward Tifa. She looked deathly pale and Cloud's anger was immediately doused with worry. Aerith also looked apprehensive.

"Tif...?" Cloud asked.

"Cloud. Just stop. Just listen to what they have to say! They wouldn't have been brought himback for no reason, right?" Tifa said, her logic silencing all doubts once again.

"Cloud, I believe she's right." Red said. He walked forward a little before sitting down again. "I also believe you have some apologizing to do. You know that Yuffie and Vincent would never put us in danger like so."

Cloud's face was filled with resentment and disgust at his own words. He turned to face them but before he could even utter a word, both Vincent and Yuffie shook their heads at him.

"It's alright Chocobo-head." Yuffie said.

Cloud looked apologetic and was once again about to say something when Vincent's voice sounded once again.

"It would be wise to listen to them. Your outburst is of no consequence." Vincent said.

Cloud nodded and turned to Aerith.

Aerith watched them for a moment before deciding to open her mouth.

"The Planet decided to send both Sephiroth and I back. Why, we are unsure of at the moment, though... Not completely, I guess." She started, looking to Sephiroth for a bit of support.

"It seems... That there are creatures roaming the Planet's surface. Creatures that shouldn't exist here."

"Hey! Those two foo's ova there were spoutin' some crazy assed ideas about them things too!" Barret said, pointing to Yuffie and Vincent.

Sephiroth nodded and continued. Aerith was thankful that they were setting their personal problems aside for a moment.

"They seem to be mako-infused." Sephiroth said, looking to Aerith. There was really nothing else to tell.

Aerith picked up on that and nodded.

"That's more or less it. We have to stop it before it gets out of control. This is worse then Meteor, mind you. The Planet isn't telling me anything. In fact, the last I spoke to it was... Four days ago?" Aerith said.

"Maybe we should all just sleep on this... Revelation. Before we decide anything else." Red suggested.

Cloud eyed Sephiroth with a glare earning one right back back him.

"Alright..."Aerith said, stepping between them.

"We'll see you guys tomorrow then?" Aerith queried.

Cloud looked to everyone and they nodded.

"Aerith... If Sephiroth..." Cloud began.

"Cloud. Don't worry. I'll be fine." Aerith said, flahsing them one last smile before taking Sephiroth's arm and leading him to the inn.

* * *


	8. Dark Feelings

**Lost in the Shadows **

_Chapter 8 - Dark Feelings_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Wutai had become one of the busiest towns around Gaia, expanding greatly to accommodate refugees and tourists. The bars and various shops were usually bustling with business.

But not today.

The bar to the South of Wutai, was unusually quiet. The usual drunkards weren't sleeping on the tables and there were no random fights breaking out. The only inhabitants of the bar currently were three people. The best customers of any bar on Gaia.

The Turks.

Elena was fuming, you could practically see the stream streaming from her ears. Her eyes danced with flames as she stared at her two companions, Reno and Rude.

"What. On. GAIA. DO. YOU. THINK. YOU'RE. DOING!" Elena screamed, causing Reno to jump out of his seat and knock Elena over due to his lack of balance. They both fell over and Reno's confused look didn't last for long.

Giving Elena a smirk, he made a comment.

"Geez 'Laney. Didn't know you felt this wayyy.." Reno slurred slightly. Elena's face went beet red and she jumped up, pausing just long enough to kick him in the gut.

"You idiot!" Elena said.

"Elena. What is it that you want?" Rude asked her, his voice unusually calm and steady for someone who had been drinking so much moments before.

Elena blinked for a second before what he had said registered in her mind, not finding Rude's statement very rude at all.

"Oh!" She squealed.

She sat and Reno's stool, making sure to step on him. His yell of protest as she sat was ignored by both of his friend's and he decided on a different tactic..

"Well. Avalanche, Tifa to be specific, just phoned me through my PHS and said she needed our help and to get to Cosmo Canyon as soon as pos--"

Elena said no more as she felt something take hold of her foot and jerk her to the floor. She let out a small scream as she fell off right onto Reno.

Reno smiled.

Elena glared.

An all out war began and lasted for several minutes before Rude broke them up. He pointed out that they should probably be moving, as Avalanche would phone them last for any help whatsoever. It had to be important.

Elena agreed and stood up kicking Reno down when he tried to stand.

"Hey-y-y... Rude, you guna leh er do that?" Reno asked.

Rude gave him a glance before helping Reno to his feet. The moment he had Reno balanced he let go. Reno fell over.

He sighed. This was going to be a long journey...

* * *

Emerald green eyes snapped open in the middle of the night. Aerith's eyes searched around the room wildly, as if chasing something. She sighed after a moment, realizing that it had only been a dream. Slightly turning her head, she found Sephiroth sleeping on the other bed. Tiptoeing as quietly and quickly as she could, she walked over to the window after slipping out of her bed.

Thoughts returned to her as she gazed out the three paned window in the room she shared with Sephiroth. Thoughts that scared her more than anything else. That day the Planet had first told Sephiroth and herself that they were going to be sent back to Earth, she was overjoyed! The next thing she knew, she couldn't control her mind. She was lost in an abyss of darkness. The Planet had told her something that still gave her the shivers just thinking about it.

Looking over at Sephiroth again, she felt a pang of guilt. She knew she had to tell him eventually, but she was scared, scared that if she said it aloud, it would finally be true. It would finally be real.

Shaking her head, new thoughts entered her mind. What was she to do about Avalanche? What could she do?

Cloud had been so unbelievably mad. She'd known how much Cloud despised his former idol but she hadn't thought he'd go so far as to blame his own team members, his best friends, for deliberately not telling him, obviously for good reasons as she had seen the volcano that was Cloud Strife's temper explode.

Aerith couldn't help but be scared for Tifa, too. She had looked so...Scared. Was it really that bad, what had happened to her? Or was there something else that plagued her mind? It was after all the first time she'd gone into such a state even thoughshe had seen the man countless times before.She'd turned such a ghostly shade of white, Aerith was surprised that she hadn't fallen over.

Aerith shook her head and turned around. She definitely needed some sleep.

Turning, she came face to face with an identical pair of green eyes. Startled, she nearly feel into the window behind her, but she was steadied by the person in front of her.

"Sephy! Don't do that!" Aerith whisper-screamed.

He rolled his eyes before staring at her.

"What?" Aerith asked, becoming uncomfortable underhis scrutiny. She knew he wasn't able to hurt her, but still, the memories of his blade made the clean wound in her stomach were always there.

"What are you doing up so late?" Sephiroth asked.

"Um... Just thinking…" Aerith said, slipping past him. She didn't want him knowing anything the Planet had told her yet. Not yet.

Sephiroth watched her clamber into her bed and lay down. He had woken up after hearing something only to be described as a choked sob. Was she unaware of it? It certainly looked like she was.

He raised and eyebrow at her when she looked his way.

"What?" She said.

Sephiroth shook his head and waved away her question. There was no use trying to get it out of her. He had the suspicion she was keeping something from him though. Why, he couldn't figure out.

Aerith slowly turned over onto her side and let out a sigh. Closing her eyes, she let the darkness and the disturbing dreams take her.

* * *

Sephiroth couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking about. It had been enough to draw some sort of feeling from her. He was so confused right now.

Strife didn't help the matter.

The way Strife had gone on before, Sephiroth was surprised he had kept himself in check. He kept telling himself to do it for the Planet, his mother, Aerith and the Gastsbutby the time Tifa had finally stepped in, he was sure he was ready to explode.

Sephiroth felt a pang of guilt at the thought of Tifa. Had he really caused so much damage that she couldn't stand to be near him? He knew he'd done wrong, but the color of her face was enough to put anyone into silence.

Sephiroth wondered what things were going to be like. He wasn't sure he'd be able to go days without starting a fight with Strife, without hacking him to pieces.

He shook the thoughts from his head, welcoming as they may be, and focused on the rest of Avalanche.

That annoying girl and the ex-Turk didn't seem to mind him much. Why, he wasn't so sure, but he was positive he'd seen Vincent clench his fists and his jaw. _Everytime_ Vincent had seen him, actually.

Sephiroth decided to let the thoughts wither and die and moved back to his bed. His gaze fell onto the sleeping flower girl's face. Again, thoughts crossed through his head and he ended up turning over and away from herto try and rid himself of them.

Letting sleep take him, he was confused as to why Aerith's face was the last thing he saw when the darkness finally overcame him.

* * *

Cloud Strife simply couldn't find solace in anything right now. How in the world had Sephiroth been brought back to life?

'Planet... That rock must've hit you somehow...' Cloud thought.

Tifa had fallen asleep the moment she had gotten back to her's and Cloud's room at the inn. She hadn't said a thing to him on the way back, even when he asked her something. He couldn't help but feel worried.

Soon, the anger he felt towards Sephiroth took over the worry and Cloud passed it off as Tifa being tired. It had been a long couple of days for everyone.

He couldn't understand how Aerith could possibly stand being in the same room as the man who murdered her. He shook with rage at the way the seemed to get along. There was no way she had forgiven him!

Although, he couldn't exactly put it past her. She was too trusting for her own good. It could get her killed again or worse! Wasn't she at all scared of what could become of her in his presence?

A sound from across the room broke through his thoughts. It seemed to have stopped the second he noticed it but he listened quietly anyway.

He heard a sob coming from Tifa's direction.

He walked over to her bed and sat down beside her, trying to calm her. She was tossing and turning, caught in the throes of her nightmare. She kept mumbling something unintelligible.

"Tifa… Tifa. Calm down, Tif. I'm here..." Cloud whispered, his thumb tracing the side of her face.

Suddenly, her burgundy eyes snapped open and she shot up nearing knocking Cloud in the head. She looked around for a minute before bursting into tears.

"Tifa?" Cloud asked. He was so puzzled as to why she was crying, not to mention uncomfortable.

It seemed like she hadn't hear him or if she did, it only made her cry that much harder. Cloud took her into his arms and she hugged him so hard, he wasn't sure he'd be awake by the end of this.

He stayed there for the remainder of the night, consoling his best friend.

Albeit wishing for more.

* * *

The morning sun was out and shining brightly. The birds were singing peacefully and the clouds danced gracefully in the sky.

Only one creature could be found awake. His red fur and the flame of his tail reflecting the light from the scorching sun. His footsteps echoed in the small corridor he was walking through.

'How had they been brought back? Could it have been that they were... No... It couldn't be...' Nanaki thought.

The resurrection of both Aerith and Sephiroth troubled him to no end. Besides that, if Sephiroth had been brought back, Nanaki could only imagine the kind of danger they must be in. What of Aerith? Why was she back? Was she here simply to keep Sephiroth in line or did she serve a bigger purpose, bigger than that of Sephiroth's?

Nanaki growled at the fact that no suitable or logical idea was coming to him. The fiends that Yuffie and Vincent had seen couldn't have been that bad, could they have? Or was there more behind it than meets the eye?

Nanaki was, for once in his life, at a loss for words. Not only were these questions running through his head, but Aerith seemed to be comfortable around the madman that Avalanche had once defeated.

How close were they? And how close would they become?

He could only imagine Cloud and Sephiroth glaring daggers at each other every five minutes. No, he couldn't only imagine it, he could basically foresee it.The tension could end up tearing the group apart.

Nanaki knew Aerith wouldn't have it though, and wasn't so much concerned about that as he was everything else.

This was no use. Hanging his head and sighing, he decided to wait for everyone else to get up so this discussion could be had and everything could be dealt with accordingly. Slowly, he trudged back to the observatory and waited for everyone to rise.

A scream from the inn resounded. Although, the scream was too familiar for him to be bothered to go and check. Besides, it was sure tohave woken everyone else up.

* * *

"VINNIE! GET BACK HERE!" Yuffie screamed. She practically felt Cosmo Canyon shaking due to her outburst.

She heard Vincent chuckling and she turned beet red. He had woken her up so rudely! He'd pulled the pillows out from under her head and had pulled the blanket off her already cold body. She got up rather grumpily and headed for the bathroom when she heard Vincent snickering slightly.

She ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. From there, she had run after him screaming.

'Oh my gawd! How could he?' Yuffie go several stares and angry looks from the inhabitants of Cosmo Canyon due to the fact that she now had felt all over her face and the fact that she had screamed so loud.

Ahead of her, Vincent stopped in his place.

'Heheh... Sucker...' Yuffie thought.

When she was close enough, she pounced, aiming for his back. Unfortunatly, he stepped aside and she tumbled to the ground.

"Damn you Vinnie, shoulda known better..." Yuffie said, cursing at the dirt.

She started to pull herself from the ground when she felt Vincent's claw grab her arm and pull her up to her feet. At that moment, she jumped at him, knocking them both to the ground.

"VINNIE? How could you! You jerk, taking advantage of poor little Yuffie?" Yuffie shrieked. Vincent just started laughing.

Yuffie gave him a confused look and he shook it away.

He pushed her off him and stood up, holding his hand out for her. She took it and was halfway in the air when he let go. She fell back down with a thump.

"OH MY GAWD!" Yuffie yelled, jumping up. The chase began once again.

* * *

A few hours after Yuffie's outburst, Avalanche along with Aerith and Sephiroth were sitting in the observatory. The tension that filled the air was inadmissible and nobody seemed confident enough to start the conversation.

Cloud and Sephiroth were currently glaring at each other, as they had been doing for the past few minutes. Neither blinked and neither looked away.

Aerith sighed and took charge.

"Sephiroth, stop that now. You too Cloud." Aerith snapped.

Sephiroth backed off but Cloud wasn't so willing. Tifa tapped him on the shoulder before he looked away.

Nanaki started. "Well. We know that fiends that shouldn't be on the Planet are here. The Planet is rather vague about it all and nobody but Yuffie, Vincent, Aerith and Sephiroth have seen them. We don't know where they came from or where they currently reside." Nanaki stopped.

"Cloud, Tifa, did you not find any trace of them at all where Sephiroth and Aerith had seen them?"

Tifa and Cloud looked uncertain for a moment, but Tifa spoke up.

"We did find footprints... But we aren't sure if they were human or... Well, whatever those things were." Tifa said.

"Cid, Barret?" Nanaki queried.

Cid turned red for a second before looking to Barret. Barret looked to him.

Cid sighed, knowing Barret wasn't about to say anything.

"We searched only for a while. There was no &&($ way we were gonna search the whole &( forest. We... Uh, played cards after a while, til' you came to get us." Cid finished lamely.

Everyone groaned and shook their heads.

"Shuddup you foo's! Nobody else did any better, what was the chance of us findin' anythin'?" Barret clipped, falling silent once again.

A few minutes passed and nobody said anything. Cloud and Sephiroth eventually went back to glaring at each other, Yuffie was poking Vincent in the side and Tifa closed her eyes, laying back against the wall. Aerith noticed she looked unusually tired, her hair wasmessed up, she was wearing no make up and her eyes were red.

Nanaki and Cait walked out of the room, sensing the impending doom and chaos about to break out.

Aerith also sensed it coming after she touched Sephiroth's arm, asking him to back off Cloud. The anger in Cloud's face grew and he jumped up.

Sephiroth smirked and whispered something in Aerith's ear.

Aerith went beet red and hit him in the arm.

"THAT'S IT. Get away from him, Aerith!" Cloud yelled, startling Tifa who had almost fallen asleep. He didn't notice though, as he continued his yelling.

Sephiroth stood and whipped out his Masamune. Cloud did the same with his Ultima Weapon. Everyone stared in silence. Cloud moved, bringing down his sword and Aerith shot up, stepping between them.

The Ultima Weapon hovered just over her shoulder. Cloud's eyes grew to an unbelievable size as he realized he could have just injured Aerith or worse.

Barret and Cid couldn't take it anymore. They jumped up and Barret started swinging curses at Sephiroth while Cid yelled at Cloud, asking him what his problem was. Cloud was yelling at Aerith, asking her why she was defending her murderer, but she held her ground until she noticed Tifa.

Yuffie and Vincent sat quietly on the side, desperately hoping for some kind of an agreement to rise between the 5 of them. Yuffie looked to Tifa only to find that she was crying. Aerith yelled at everyone tobe quietand moved over towards the three sitting against the wall.

Yuffie crawled over to Tifa, Vincent behind her and they consoled her.

Aerith looked angrily to the three men in front of her after making sure that Yuffie and Vincent would take care of her.

"How could you be so senseless! This is not the time to be arguing!" She started. "I don't care if you dislike Sephiroth, you need to either put aside your differences and learn to work with him or try to befriend him."

Yuffie decided to speak up.

"Aerith, we're gonna leave you here with these guys. Vinnie and I will take Tif outta here." Yuffie said, glaring pointedly at Cloud and Barret, taking Tifa's arm.

"Yuffie and I do not wish to cause any disruption between the group, but we doforgive you, Sephiroth." Vincent added, knowing it had to be said sooner or later. He took Tifa's other arm and led her out of the room with Yuffie.

Aerith sent them a grateful look before turning back to Cloud.

"Right now. Settle your differences. If I hear anything, and believe me I will, you'll be sorry." Aerith said with the most finality they had ever heard. She walked out of the room, motioning for Cid to follow her, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Sephiroth was at a loss for words. How could she just leave him here, alone with these... These people!

'No time for such questions...' Sephiroth said, keeping his temper down.

"Sephiroth, I don't care that you're back to protect Aerith. Stay away from her. You have no right to be here and especially not with her." Cloud snarled.

Amusement flashed in Sephiroth's eyes.

"And you believe that you have that authority over us? Over _me_?" Sephiroth asked. "It is Aerith's decision, not mine. Even then, I really don't have much of a choice, so I suggest you get used to it."

Cloud's eyes filled with rage.

"Look, I don't like you and you don't like me. I have no intention of getting along with you at all but I'll keep my distance for Aerith and Tifa's sake, though, be warned. Try anything at all, and I'll have your head." Cloud said with such malice, that Barret had to step away from him.

"I'd like to see you try." Sephiroth retaliated, baiting him.

"I've done it before, twice in fact!" Cloud snapped, readying his sword.

"Ha. Had you actually faced me, you wouldn't be here." Sephiroth said.

"Spike, I think ya said all ya wanted tah say." Barret said, his voice edgy.

"I mean it, Sephiroth. You leave Aerith alone." Cloud threatened before walking away, Barret following closely.

* * *

Aerith was so sure that she would have hadto go in there and stop some sort of fight from breaking out but to her surprise and relief, Barret came out uttering not a word with Cloud following shortly after. Aerith hadn't heard any sound pointing toward a fight.

She walked into the room to find Sephiroth standing there looking at the wall.

"I take it the wall is very interesting?" Aerith asked, giggling slightly.

Sephiroth turned to her and gave her a sly smile.

"It seems Cloud is rather... Protective of you, ne?" He said. "Is he your mystery boyfriend?" Aerith turned red and took him by his arm, leading him out.

* * *

Avalanche was situated around the Cosmo flame, not including Aerith and Sephiroth. Cloud wished to hold a meeting to decide on Sephiroth's place in their group.

Cloud cleared his throat before starting, glancing at Tifa. She had sat with Yuffie and Vincent on the other side of the flame. Away from Cloud. She'd been so emotional lately and nobody, not even he, could get her to confess as to why. He felt guilty, but it couldn't be helped right now. He'd talk to her later.

"We need to decide on whether Sephiroth is going to stay or not." Cloud started. "I want to know how you all feel about him being here."

Cait bounced around joyfully.

"Nanaki and I say he stays! We don't really have a problem with him." He said.

Cloud looked angry for a second before being interrupted by Yuffie.

"Spike man, you gotta get over this. He was being controlled! You had been like that too at one point but we let ya back in. Hell, you're our leader. You already know what Vinnie and I think."

"I'm with those four morons." Cid said, motioning his head to Yuffie, Vincent, Cait and Red.

"I don't want him anywhere near us! That foo' has caused too much damn trouble!" Barret yelled, cursing silently.

"I'm with Barret." Cloud said. He set his gaze on Tifa.

"Tif?" Cloud asked.

She looked up slowly from the position of hanging over her chest before leaning her head on Yuffie's shoulder.

"I don't know. I think we should give him a chance, Cloud. Everyone deserves a second chance, right? And Yuffie is right. He was being controlled." She finished, closing her eyes.

Cloud sighed and nodded.

"Alright. We'll do it. He can st--" Cloud started, but was cut off by the sound of mixed laughter coming from the Cosmo entrance.

The three Turks walked through the entrance and Reno fell over from exhaustion. Rude looked down at him before laughing like a maniac. Everyone's eyes widened.

Elena was apparently the only sane person at that moment.

"Rude, Reno this isn't funny!" She screeched.

Yuffie and Cait got up and bounced over to the distressed Elena to help with the two Turks.

"I don't know what's wrong with them..." Elena trailed off, kicking Reno in the gut.

"Don't worry 'bout it. The 'Great Ninja Yuffie' and her two sidekicks will get them outta here. Vinnie, get over here you lazy butt!" Yuffie yelled.

Avalanche dispersed for the night and they all went their separate ways, doubts and thoughts circling through them.

* * *


	9. Group Discussion

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 9 - Group Discussions_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and it's characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

The previous night's events were still fresh in Aerith's mind. The Turks were now a part of their group. She spared them a glance. Aerith didn't know if that could be considered a good or a bad thing.

All of Avalanche and the Turks were currently situated in the Sierra's meeting room, discussing the next best possible action to take. Aerith hadn't paid a speck of attention during the whole discussion. Her thoughts were elsewhere, and rightfully so, she thought.

The Planet's words rang clear in her mind. The words were so painful, but then, they would be to her. She couldn't stand the thought of such a thing!

A sudden pain in her head caused her flinch. A select few of her friends noticed and gave her a questioning look. She gave them a smile and shook her head, looking away.

The pain was increasing and the intervals between were becoming shorter. She asked the Planet for help but got no response until after the wave of pain left her but even then, nothing the Planet told her helped in any way.

By the time the discussion was over, the pain was nearing unbearable. Everyone stood up and started to walk off but not before Tifa rushed over to Aerith's side.

"Aerith, are you alright?" Tifa asked her, concern lacing her voice.

Everyone's eyes shifted toward her and Aerith noticed that some of the eyes widened when they saw her.

Was she that easy to read? Could they sense the fact that she was uncomfortable or was it something else? Hell, it could be Tifa's legendary sixth sense!

Tifa obviously saw the question in her eyes because she answered the thoughts running through her head.

"You're pale. Really pale." Tifa said.

Aerith smiled as relief flooded through her and she shook her head, standing up. She faced them as calmly as possible without showing any strain on her part.

"I'm fine! Don't worry about me." Aerith lied through her teeth.

Tifa gave her a sceptical look but left it alone, as did the others.

Aerith turned and took Sephiroth's arm, ignoring the males' glares, save Vincent and Cid and walked out of the room. She had led him to the top of the stairs before the pain hit her in a massive wave. She felt the room spin and lost her control slightly, but Sephiroth steadied her with his hand gripping her arm.

They continued to walk until they met the railing of the Sierra's deck. The new airship was truly incredible. While it was constructed somewhat in the same way as the Highwind, there were various new features to accomodate everyone as Avalanche obviously spentalot of time on the ship.

The cool fresh air seeped through both Aerith and Sephiroth's locks, kissing their cheeks and the thoughts had returned to her.

Aerith chose to speak after a few minutes of silence. How to tell him? The idea seemed so absurd to her! Nothing like such would happen... Would it?

"Sephiroth? Remember when we were in the life stream and our parents told us we were coming back?" Aerith asked.

Sephiroth gave her a nod and a quick glance.

"Well, the Planet told me something." She continued.

She noticed that she lost some of his interest. He hadprobably guessed what she had been told, though she knew it was far from what had really be exchanged.

"It's not what you think was said, by the way." Aerith said, slightly annoyed that she could lose his interest that fast.

Sephiroth gave her a look, indicating that he was listening.

"It um... It told me that something was going to happen. Something bad." She said, shifting her feet. It was clear that she was uncomfortable due to where the conversation was leading.

Sephiroth looked over at her, interest clearly shown in his eyes.

"To one of us. One of the Turks, Avalanche, you or me..." Aerith trailed off.

The silence stretched between them for what seemed like forever, until Sephiroth spoke.

"Did it say who?" He asked.

"Well... Not exactly... I doubt it's going to be you, Tifa or Cloud, though, I could be wrong." Aerith stuttered.

He sent her a questioning glance and she stomped her foot.

"It was so vague! It doesn't know for sure! All it said was; Someone unexpected or someone familiar, whatever that means!" She said, exasperated, tears pricking at her eyes.

Sephiroth glanced in her direction. Someone unexpected or someone familiar? Familiar as in, familiar to the concept or... They've already died? He could see the slight fear in her eyes and knew what she was thinking.

"Do you think it could be talking about you?" He asked quietly.

She looked up at him and quickly shifted her eyes elsewhere.

"I don't know… I hate to say it but I hope not. I mean, I don't want someone else to die but… I already did my part! Months ago, I gave my life. I don't want to have to do it again…" Aerith whispered, moving her feet around.

"Is there any way to stop it from happening?" Sephiroth asked her.

"Well. It said that depending on our choices, our actions, the whole situation could drastically change." Aerith stated.

"So if we make one choice, someone will end up paying the price but if we choose something different, it could end up being someone completely different?"

"Yea..." Aerith trailed off. There was something else she'd wanted to ask him...

"Oh! Sephiroth, can I ask you a favour?" Aerith pleaded.

Sephiroth looked at her.

"Um, do you think you could come with me to the Ancient City and... Help me find Holy?" Aerith asked. "The Planet said I'd need it."

He looked at her for a second before looking away. 'For what? What could she possibly need it for now?'

"Yes." He relented.

"Eee! Thank you! But... When? We need to get it as soon as possible." She hurried to tell him.

Sephiroth smirked. She really hadn't been paying attention. Which brought back another question.

"Your friends said we'd be splitting up into three groups of three and two groups of two tomorrow, and we'll be heading off in different areas. I'm assuming that Valentine, Yuffie, you and I are going to be the pairs. We can go get it tomorrow." He said.

"Perfect!" Aerith chirped.

"Why did you flinch earlier? You know, when we were discussing the plan that you weren't listening to?" He asked, smirking slightly.

Aerith blushed slightly and laughed. Of course he would notice! Tifa, Vincent and himself were too perceptive for their own good.

"Whenever I don't do something when the Planet wants me to, my head starts to hurt. I don't know why, it just does. It was getting a little out of control. That's why I was so pale earlier, I guess." She relayed.

"Anyways, it's cold…" Aerith started.

She held her hand out to him and flashed him that beautiful smile of hers.

Sephiroth's felt an unusual sensation in his heart. This was happening a lot lately and only around her. Whether it be that she smiled or laughed, he always felt that little pinprick in his heart. Her smiles just illuminated her face in every possible way and he knew that the smile belonged on her face, above anything else.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. This was getting out of hand, these thoughts! He shook his head, hoping once again to erase them permanently. Though, he was sure that wouldn't be happening.

Sighing aloud, he took her small hand in his and let her lead him to their room. She would have taken his hand anyways had he not, right? He kept telling himself that that was the only reason he was holding her hand.

Who was he kidding?

* * *

Early in the morning, so early you were just beginning to hear the birds sing their melodies to the world, Avalanche could be found sitting in the Sierra's meeting room. Again. Between Reno slouched over almost half asleep, Elena, Barret and Cid complaining and cursing and a few other Avalanche members being too tired to keep their eyes open, the meeting wasn't going so well.

"Alright. I get you're tired, I do. We all are! But we need to know what's going on and we need to know now. So we need to get moving." Cloud stated.

A few looked up at him while the rest were lost to the world. Cloud groaned and scratched the back of his head but continued nonetheless.

"Okay. I've split you all into groups. Like I stated before, three groups of three and two groups of two. We will all go to our assigned destination and we'll be searching everywhere for anything, even the tiniest bit of Mako residue, whatever. We'll search for two weeks while keeping in close contact. Got that?" Cloud sighed when nobody acknowledged him.

"Cait Sith, come here please…" Cloud asked. Of course, Cait Sith was the only one taking in all this information due to the fact that he wasn't real. Artificial intelligence came in handy sometimes. Though it was quite out of character, it was early, too early, in the morning...

Cloud whispered something into Cait's ear. The sinister laugh coming from Cait afterwards could only mean one thing. Something bad was about to happen. Very bad.

The loudest yell through the tiny cat's microphone they'd ever heard, woke those up who were sleeping and angered those who were awake and slightly paying attention.

"I hate you, Cloud…" Yuffie grumped.

Cloud ignored her remark and the noises from the rest of Avalanche, clearly telling him that they agreed with the young kunoichi.

"Splitting up, two weeks search. The parties are…" Cloud started.

"Two weeks! You &( son of a &$, I ain't looking for $&$ two weeks!" Cid shouted, gaining a chorus of agreement from Barret, Reno and Elena.

Cloud sent them a glare which shut them up, but not before they relayed violent curses with such vehemence it made Cloud wince. Okay... Never wake them up this early again.

Cloud couldn't help but notice Aerith's rapt attention. Usually, she fiddled with her hair or giggled with one of the girls but not this time. No, she almost looked like she couldn't wait to get moving… Almost.

"The parties are, Vincent and Yuffie, Aerith and Sephiroth," Cloud shot the aforementioned a hateful glare, "Cait, Tifa and I, Cid, Nanaki and Barret and Reno, Rude and Elena."

Most occupants of the room groaned and grumbled, still grumpy from being awake so soon. The rest sighed and leant back against the wall, chair, whatever happened to be near them.

"Alright, let's mosey." Cloud said, standing.

Yuffie jumped up and pointed at Cloud.

"What the HELL? You wake us up so god damn early, tell us some mumbo jumbo, blow in our ears," Yuffie glanced at Cait, her voice reaching a level of hysteria. "AND YOU TELL ME I'M WITH VINNIE? HE PULLED A BLANKET OFF ME THE OTHER DAY, DIDN'T YOU KNOW? And to top it ALL off, you say MOSEY!" Yuffie raged.

She stomped over to the door, chest heaving. She sent him a malicious glare.

"You will pay one day. You will…" Yuffie said, walking out the door.

Everyone in the room sweat dropped.

"Er… Okay, this will never happen again…" Cloud said.

* * *


	10. Secrets Untold

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 10 - Secrets Untold_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

The treacherous sun was gleaming so brightly and giving off such heat that one would think that global _warming_ had certainly surpassed global warming. With nothing ahead of them to give them much hope, Aerith couldn't help but wonder if she was going to make it past this day. Sephiroth had insisted upon making them search the whole desert before heading off to the Ancient City.

Why? Why does he do this to me? And why oh why did Cloud send us here of all places? Surely the stupid fiends can't live in this weather…

Aerith moved to kick the sand when something popped out of it. She screamed and backed up, causing Sephiroth to turn around. She saw his mouth open before he saw what had come out of the sand.

With one slash of the Masamune, the creature was gone in an instant and Aerith blinked, trying to put a name to the creature. Why? Who knows...

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and turned back around, continuing forward. Aerith fumed. Who was he rolling his eyes at?

"Hey! What was that look for?"Aerith raged. She wasn't so sure why she was so grumpy today. Maybe it was because of Cloud waking them all up so early and the proceeding to drop them off the their respective destinations. But, she was so happy this morning…

It was the sun. There really was no otherexplanation for it.

Sephiroth turned to look at her.

"You were scared of that creature back there." Sephiroth said, though Aerith knew it was a question.

"I was just surprised. Why are we still here by the way?" Aerith asked.

"Because we need to check around for any signs of the fiends." Sephiroth clipped, as though it was the most obvious thing. Well... It was.

Aerith stopped where she was and put her hands on her hips. There was no way she was staying here any longer!

"HEY! I don't want to stand here and melt in the sun all day! What creature in their right mind would come here?" Aerith tossed back at him, a little surprised at the vehemence lacing her voice.

Sephiroth stopped and turned, arms covering his chest. He raised an eyebrow, an attempt at questioning her last statement, but to no avail. She still stood there, waiting for an answer.

"You did see that fiend back there right?" Sephiroth asked, annoyed at her behaviour.

"Well duh, thanks a lot for pointing that out for me." Aerith retaliated, just as annoyed as him.

Sephiroth blinked. He could tell it was going to be one of those days…

"Well, those creatures could be infected too. We can't rule out the possibility."

Aerith rolled her eyes.

"I don't want to stay here any longer! There are more important things to do, like going and getting Holy! The Planet says it's important and my head is starting to hurt again. Why are you so hard-headed?" Aerith asked, clearly venting her pent up frustration.

Sephiroth considered what she said. Aerith was right, getting Holy was more important than searching fruitlessly for fiends that may only exist in the forest near Bone Village. Sephiroth sighed internally. All this trouble with the fiends just brought up even more questions that Sephiroth didn't feel like thinking about so he decided to simply give in.

"Fine. But once we have Holy, you realize we have to come back?" Sephiroth clipped. This day was definitely not going the way he'd thought it would.

Aerith sent him a guilty glance. 'And if we don't come back…?' she wondered. Aerith simply walked over to him and held her gaze to something other then Sephiroth.

She heard him sigh in frustration before wrapping his arms around her in a crushing 'hug-death grip'. She couldn't think of any name more fitting…

The entire time they were airborne, they were silent. Neither wished to speak for fear of what might leave their mouths and they were eternally grateful when they were back on the ground with a reasonable distance between them.

Sephiroth landed just a little ways away from the lake. He noticed Aerith glancing around nervously while walking forward. She flinched a few times as well but Sephiroth passed it off as her head hurting.

'Or maybe… She just dislikes this place because of… This is where she died…' Sephiroth thought, guilt suddenly plaguing him.

They had reached the stairs leading down and Aerith was slowing her steps. Was there something she hadn't told him? If anything, the voices around here should at least be comforting. Sephiroth shook the thoughts off, reverting back to his earlier thoughts.

Sephiroth stopped at seeing the altar. Had they really gotten this far already? He hadn't been paying much attention… Even looking at the altar brought back the horrid memory of what he'd done to Aerith, who was now his only friend.

He glanced over at her to see her looking at the altar intently, shaking or nodding her head occasionally.

Now he was confused…

Aerith walked forward, motioning for him to come with her. She walked up to the edge and peered over, looking into the water. He saw her tense and turn to him.

"Do you think you could go in there and get Holy?" Aerith asked meekly.

Sephiroth briefly recalled their conversation in which he'd learned she was unable to swim while trying to figure out a way off that ungodly continent.

Sephiroth smiled.

"But don't you want to go in there yourself?" He teased.

She gave him a contemptuous glare before grinding out her next words.

"I told you before that I can't swim and besides, my head is really starting to hurt."

Sephiroth decided then to back off. He would have taken it further had it not been for the fact that Aerith was in… little or no pain. He really couldn't tell what all the flinching was for.

He took his trench coat off and jumped in the water.

'Why couldn't I get stuck with an easy job…' He complained discreetly. He searched for the gleaming ball of white and green on the ocean floor. It took no more then a few seconds to spot it. He grabbed it and swam to the top, breaking the surface in no time.

He found Aerith sitting on the edge, twirling a piece of her hair around her finger. She looked up when he started to swim back and grimaced at his hand.

'This can't be good…' Sephiroth thought.

He managed to get himself out of the water and sitting in front of her within the minute. He held his palm out to her and noticed that she once again grimaced. Her hand went straight to her head and she shut her eyes.

Okay. Something was wrong.

"Alright miss secretive. What's going on?" Sephiroth said, retracting his hand.

Aerith looked up at him, guilt and pain in her eyes. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at her and she shook her head, looking down at the floor. They sat there like that for a few minutes before Aerith held her palm out, although reluctantly.

Sephiroth was hesitant to give it back. By what she was doing earlier, Sephiroth could've sworn that Aerith was almost afraid of the tiny ball of sacred magic that she had once fought so hard to protect and understand.

"Wait. What is going on? First you make faces at it and now you're shaking as you hold out your hand for it." Sephiroth clipped.

Aerith sent him an annoyed look but her eyes softened when she saw the concern in his eyes.

'Now or never I suppose…' Aerith thought.

She sighed and looked at him for a moment before hastily looking away.

"The Planet said that something's going to happen when I touch Holy. It'll be painful for me," Aerith said, but noticing Sephiroth's look of slight alarm that he failed to cover she quickly added, "but only for a moment!"

Sephiroth didn't looked convinced.

"Sephiroth, it has to happen now or later and I think I want this over with now." Aerith sighed.

Sephiroth looked from her to Holy for a moment before reluctantly holding his hand out.

Closing her eyes, she took the white materia into her hands and stood, moving away from him quickly.

A bright white light enveloped her and she felt the need to scream when she felt a searing hot pain shot up her side. The materia had found it's way out of her hands and she opened her eyes slightly to find Sephiroth looking at her in shock. She looked down and saw the Holy materia trying to force it's way into her stomach. Clenching her eyes shut, she tensed and bit her lip, eventually tasting her own coppery blood.

The pain was excruciating but she wouldn't scream. No, she was going to be brave this time. She could feel tears prick at her eyes as the bright white light diminished in front of her eyes.

The last thing she saw was Sephiroth striding towards her hastily before she fell to the ground, exhausted.

* * *


	11. Deadly Consequences

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 11 - Deadly Consequences_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Four long days had passed for Avalanche. The two weeks of searching just wouldn't go by fast enough and almost everyone was frustrated. Nobody had turned anything up or heard from Aerith and Sephiroth. Worry was constantly coursing through all of them.

Barret couldn't take much more and he threw up his hands. He started shooting at every available thing around him, save for Cid and Nanaki, attempting to vent his frustration.

"Damn that Spiky headed foo'!" Barret yelled over the sound of his machine arm's relentless assault.

Cid sent him a look clearly saying that he'd better shut the hell up and keep moving, but Barret either chose to ignore it or simply was too far gone to notice. Nanaki just kept moving forward, uttering not a word to either of them.

"You son of a $&, what the &$& do you think you're doing?" Cid retorted.

Barret sent him a glare and positioned his gun arm at Cid's head. Cid sweat dropped for a second before moving out of the way.

"We gotta keep &$& moving!" Cid said.

"Shuddup you foo'. I know you ain likin this anymore n I am." Barret said, sitting down ever so gracefully on a log behind him. Cid followed suit soon after, pulling out his packets of cigarettes.

They had been walking through the Ancient Forest for a few days now. They'd found absolutely nothing to indicate that the fiend's had been or were here. Cid puffed on his cigarette and thought about Aerith. She hadn't contacted any of Avalanche at all since they'd last seen her.

Cid's forehead creased as he contemplated the chance on Sephiroth having done something to her…

A loud shot was heard and Cid stood fast; his cigarette fell out of his mouth.

"SHIT." Cid shouted, bending over to pick his cigarette up. All he was met with was a glowing green patch of grass… Wait. That couldn't be true, grass didn't glow.

'Great observation you $& moron...' He thought.

He slowly lifted his head and found himself face to face with one of the fiends Yuffie, Vincent and the others had talked about.

"Dammit you foo'! Move!" He heard from behind him and only just missed being hit by a shower of bullets. He fell to the ground with a thud and came up with a few new curses.

"Damn you $&&! Don't $$ shoot when I'm standing in front of the $&!" Cid cursed, waving his spear around. He stood up quickly and faced Barret.

"Maybe ya shoulda been payin' attention!" Barret retaliated, glaring.

Cid mumbled a few curses under his breath before his PHS went off. He looked to see the fiend walking ever so slowly towards him and he backed up, picking up the PHS.

"Cid &$ Highwind." He answered, still backing up.

"Cid! The fiends, they're here!" Yuffie's frantic voice sounded over the phone.

Cid cursed when he heard Yuffie scream and rustling.

"They're here too brat." Cid said, throwing his spear out in front of him. It went right through the monster. That's when he noticed something was wrong.

"Hey, Barret. Where the $& is Nanaki?" Cid asked, looking around.

Barret started looking around too and stomped his feet over and over when he didn't see him.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit…" He answered back.

"CID! Call the others and tell them--" Yuffie said, but was cut off. The PHS line went dead and Cid cursed. What had happened? He didn't have much time to wonder about it as the fiend suddenly charged toward him.

"What the #&!" Cid said, turning and dashing away.

A second fiend appeared in front of him and he was forced to stop in his tracks. Cid looked behind him and in front of him. The one in front was just standing there, giving him an eerie stare while the other was still running towards him.

"Damn you foo's tah hell!" Barret could be heard, and he fired shots everywhere. The fiend took notice and the one running stopped and turned toward Barret.

"Aw shit…" Barret said.

* * *

Yuffie had lost the connection with Cid when the monster took a bite at her hand. She had managed to evade but only because Vincent pointed it out to her. Unfortunately, the PHS' life ended right there.

She'd fallen to the ground and the fiend was hovering over her.

"Uh… Vinnie, a little help…?" Yuffie trailed off when the fiend went for her.

Vincent turned just in time to see Yuffie roll out of the way, but it wasn't enough. It's teeth had caught a bit of her shirt and kept her there. Thinking quickly, he looked to see what Materia he had…

Fire. Perfect. She may kill him for it later, but it was either her life or her shirt.

Concentrating hard, all the while keeping his eyes on the fiend who was now dragging her back into the brush, he thought up the weakest fire spell he could but not weak enough that it wouldn't gain him the expected result.

He cast the spell and it burnt the part of her shirt that the fiend had in it's grasp.

"OW!" He could hear, but he didn't waste any time thinking about it.

"Yuffie, move now!" Vincent yelled out to her. The fiend was raising it's head in preparation for an attack of some sort. Yuffie chose to listen to him only seconds before the fiend brought it's head down. She rolled over until she thought she was a safe enough distance from the fiend and stood up.

"Man Vinnie, I've never hated anything more than these things." Yuffie said, looking over to him with gratitude. She saw him sigh and shake his head in return.

"What?" She asked.

Vincent simply pointed in front of her. How stupid could she be?

"OH MY GAWD!" Yuffie screamed, jumping into the air, narrowly missing the teeth the fiend was baring.

'Why is it only going for me...?' Yuffie thought. Pity-party!

"We need to find out how to stop this." Vincent said.

"Thanks a lot Captain Obvious. Gawd. What're we gonna do now?" Yuffie asked him.

Her PHS was broken and she knew she had to let Cloud know about this somehow. Vincent didn't have his because Reno and his group had needed one. Damn those Turks!

From what she'd heard from Cid, the fiends had shown up in the Ancient Forest again and now they were here, in Gongaga Forest, fighting Vincent and herself? Not to mention the fact that Aerith and Sephiroth had found them in the forest near Bone Village. They were spreading too quickly too fast and nobody could tell why.

"We wouldn't be in such a predicament had you not broken the PHS." Vincent stated.

Yuffie turned to him when she saw the fiends standing still a fair distance away from her. The rage in her eyes made Vincent regret what he'd said and shaking his head was obviously a bad move as well.

"That WASN'T my fault!" Yuffie yelled.

"Yes, it was actually." Vincent retorted.

"Oh my GAWD! At least I phoned them and let them know, now they can tell the others! BESIDES! _You_ were SUPPOSED to be watching these stupid things!" Yuffie said, pointing to the fiends in front of them. "But no, you had to wait until it almost amputated my hand!" Yuffie rambled.

"We can't just leave now, Yuffie. We need to know where these things are coming from." Vincent stated matter-of-factly.

"FINE!" Yuffie said, running off.

* * *

Reno and Rude could be found in the outskirts of Junon trying to stave off the confrontation of the Mako-infused fiends with Junon.

The Turks had just been minding their own business, watching over Junon and it's inhabitants, when some old lady ran in yelling about glowing monstrosities heading toward the quiet town. They'd gone to check it out and came face to face with the crisis they weren't all too interested in meeting up with today.

Reno was becoming increasingly frustrated by the fact that the fiends weren't able to be battled with. Both physical and magic attacks did nothing to help them in the slightest.

"What the hell? How are you supposed to get rid of these things?" Reno yelled over to one of his best friends, Rude.

Rude wasn't holding up too well either, he observed. He was a martial arts and magic kinda guy. How was he supposed to fight these things? Reno watched as he managed to hold off one of them when they charged for him.

Rude gave him the silence, which undoubtedly, Reno understood.

"Yea, she'll be back ANYDAY NOW!" Reno yelled. He turned his head to find Elena still on the PHS with Tifa, fingering him.

Reno scowled.

"Bitch…"

Rude gave him a warning look which Reno waved off when Elena started running over. She waited for a moment to catch her breath. Running simply wasn't her thing.

"Cloud said… That he and Tifa are busy trying… to find out how to get rid of the fiends. They're starting to appear… everywhere." Elena gasped.

"What do you mean, everywhere?" Reno said, finally beginning to tire.

"Cloud said that Cait said that Yuffie and Vincent encountered the fiends along with Cid, Barret and Nanaki. They only just showed up where Cloud and Tifa are now and he said that Kalm was being attacked. Yuffie's PHS must have broken or something too because nobody can contact her anymore." Elena said.

Reno cursed and Rude managed to push the fiends away.

Rude looked to Elena.

"Has anyone heard from Aerith yet?"

Elena shook her head, no. Nobody could come up with a reasonable explanation other then the fact that something may have happened to them. Although, even then it was doubted. Sephiroth couldn't be defeated so easily. But then, it wasn't like Aeirth not to call and tell everyone that she was alright.

"So 'Laney, gonna help us or what?" Reno asked, gritting his teeth as he attempted to hold them off like Rude had earlier.

Elena looked from Reno to the fiends, an uneasy look coming across her face.

"Aw, come on 'Laney, it's not that bad." Reno drawled, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Elena shook her head and backed up. There was no way. Besides, she had to phone Cid and the others. Someone needed to get to Kalm seeing as how Aerith and Sephiroth weren't going to be getting there anytime soon.

* * *

Cloud's sword went right through the monster and it was frustrating him to no end. There had to be some way to get rid of them. He glanced over at Tifa. She was having just as much trouble with them, if not more. She was tired, he could see that. She hadn't been getting much sleep these days for some reason so the unexpected battle was taking it's toll on her.

They had come to check up on Nibelheim. The town and it's people had already gone through enough over the years, what more could possibly be done to Nibelheim before someone or something backed off?

They'd begun to fight them off in Neibelheim, managing to drive them out of there and into the Nibel mountains. They'd been battling for a good twenty minutes and exhaustion was creeping into both their faces, moreso Tifa's.

"Cloud." Tifa gasped, falling to the ground.

"What is it?" Cloud asked in alarm.

"I need… to phone the others. Make sure… They're okay." She managed to get out.

Cloud nodded to her and moved in front of her. She stood up and walked a safe distance away, first dialing Cid's PHS number.

* * *

Cid picked up his PHS the moment he heard it ring.

"Yuff?" Cid answered, hoping to no end that she was alright. The way they'd been cut off was enough to drive him crazy.

"No, Cid. It's Tifa. Why are you waiting for a call from Yuffie?" She asked, not hiding her concern in any way.

Cid told her about how they were cut off before. He told her about the fiends having shown up everywhere, which she already knew, and he told her about Kalm and Junon.

"Cid, where's Nanaki?" Tifa asked, hearing nothing of Nanaki in the conversation.

Cid paused for a second before answering her question.

"I dunno. He disappeared when the fiends showed up."

"What?" Tifa gasped.

"Calm down! He could be searching for something else or he could be hiding somewhere waiting for something. We dunno how the damn cat's brain works." Cid finished, trying to keep his swearing down to a minimun if not anything at all.

"What about Reno and the others? Have you heard anything from Aerith?" Tifa asked.

"Nothin' yet..!" Cid said, jumping out of the way of the fiend running at him.

He and Barret had each taken one fiend which surprisingly, was harder then two. It made manoeuvring a little easier but when alone, the fiends had more room to move, making them able to move faster.

'Where the &$& is that damn $ cat?' Cid thought.

"Cid, I need to go." Tifa said.

"Alright. I'll keep in touch and I'll let ya know if I hear anything bout' the others." Cid said.

"Alright… I'll see you soon. Come back in one piece. And… Find Nanaki." Tifa said.

"You got it." Cid said, hanging up.

Everything had turned into such a mess. Four of their comrades were missing or they couldn't be contacted. Possibly five if they didn't find Nanaki. It seemed unlikely that Nanaki would just leave he and Barret alone here to fight off these things, though. There had to be a good reason.

He swung his spear out in frustration at the fiend coming near him and it backed away from him slightly.

'Huh?' Cid thought. He moved closer and swung at it again, this time enough to make some sort of contact with it.

"What the $$?" Cid shouted.

"Shit. You foo'!" He heard Barret shout out.

Cid turned to look and saw Barret pointing his gun arm out of the fiend in front of him who had it's jaws clamped around something that looked oddly familiar…

"&(!" Cid yelled, realizing what it was.

Or rather who. Red had jumped in front of Barret when he failed to realize that the fiend was running toward him.

"Barret… Shoot at it…" Red managed to gasp not giving any explanation as to where he'd been.

Barrets shots rounds and was surprised to see that they made contact with skin and began to slowly wear the fiend down. After a few more rounds, the fiend threw it's head back in agony and started to back up, letting go of Red's leg.

Red collapsed to the ground in a heap and Cid ran forward. Barret started firing at the other fiend and it started backing away with the other. They turned and ran through the brush before they could be struck any further.

"Red! $&! What the $& were you thinking you $&!" Cid yelled, looking at his leg.

He got no response from Red as he was unconscious.

"Shit." Cid said, looking up at Barret. There was a slight green color under Red's fur. It was only in one place at the moment but Cid had a bad feeling about it.

"Call the others you & don't just stand there!" Cid shouted, causing Barret to look up with guilt clearly plastered across his face.

Barret dialled Cloud's PHS number as Cid sat in silence.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Ancient City only two people could be found. One awake and one asleep.

Sephiroth had carried Aerith back to one of the houses after seeing the white Materia enter Aerith's stomach, where the Masamune had once left a clean cut. The cut was nowhere to be found on her stomach now, though.

Sephiroth scowled at Aerith. Had he known that she would be unresponsive for days he wouldn't have handed her the Materia.

He couldn't help but notice the small knot in his stomach making him feel dread, fear… Why was he feeling these things?

Sephiroth turned his attention to the now ringing PHS. It had rung so many times every hour he was finding it hard to hold back from smashing it. He refrained from doing so though and also stopped himself from picking up. Aerith had awakened a few times in a drowsy stupor, asking him not to answer any calls.

Sephiroth assumed that was the Planet talking and simply abided by what had come out of her mouth. Although, he knew he'd be getting the brunt end of the deal sooner or later.

He looked over at Aerith, sleeping peacefully. Or so he found himself hoping.

He felt a pang of guilt every time he looked at her. This could have been avoided. He should have simply followed his instincts but gave in because of the pain it was causing her.

His forehead creased when he thought of his last statement.

The pain it was causing her? Why was it causing her pain anyways? Surely the Planet wouldn't have harmed her in any way had she waited a little longer.

Sephiroth sat contemplating everything in silence, waiting patiently for Aerith to open her eyes. He knew something was happening outside of the City and he wanted to know what. Although he was pretty sure his thoughts were accurate anyway.

* * *


	12. Missing Comrades

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 12 - Missing Comrades_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

"What do you mean, there's no cure?" Tifa asked.

"I mean what I say, Tifa. We can't fix this, we've tried everything." Cloud said, guilt crossing his features. "I should never have done this. Sent us off on some goose chase. We had no idea what we were facing, no idea what any of this was about! Yuffie, Vincent, Aerith and Sephiroth are missing and we've no way to contact them while… One of us is dying." Cloud mumbled.

"Cloud, this is no time to be blaming yourself! First of all, it's not your fault. Second, we need to keep trying to help Nanaki! Third, Yuffie, Vincent, Aerith, Sephiroth! They're missing! We know! But I'm sure they're fine. Vincent and Sephiroth wouldn't let anything happen to Yuffie or Aerith." Tifa said, exasperated. She collapsed on the bed in her and Cloud's room, closing her eyes tiredly.

So much had happened over the course of a few short days. Fiend's were popping up in unexpected places and the Turks and the rest of the crew, save Nanaki, were gone to try and get it under control.

Cid and Barret's news also was troubling them to no end. The fiend's were so untouchable. But at the precise moment that all hell broke loose, Barret, Cid and Nanaki had found out that they wereable to inflict damageand had been able to drive out two of the beasts.

Tifa felt tears prick at her eyes but shook them away. Now was not the time for tears. She'd cried enough this week.

She'd noticed the looks the others gave her when they were around her. She was being treated like she was made of glass and all because of a certain lapse of security.

How could she not feel insecure, with Aerith back in their lives. Sure, she was Tifa's best friend, even a sister! But the way Cloud looked at her… Her stomach churned with jealousy and feelings she couldn't quite place.

She looked over at Cloud who was gazing out the window.

'Waiting for the woman in the pink dress who stole his heart…'

Tifa scowled at the thoughts. She shouldn't be thinking about Aerith like that! Aerith would never deliberately hurt her, she knew that. Nobody could control their feelings toward others. Tifa, of all people, knew.

Tifa stood up and walked over to Cloud, looking out the window.

* * *

"Who are you waiting for?" Cloud heard someone whisper. Someone standing beside him.

Cloud jumped slightly, startled that Tifa had been able to come up beside him without him realizing. What was he supposed to tell her? He knew the thoughts running through his head would ultimately hurt her should she take it the wrong way.

But how could he not be worried about Aerith?

He looked over at Tifa and felt the familiar flutter in his stomach and felt his heart speed up in pace. Only Tifa could do that to him. Cloud never knew how to express his love to her.

He'd never been able to tell her that she was beautiful, with her soft brown hair framing her picturesque face, or how deeply stunning her brown-red eyes were and how he was so able to get lost in them. Never was he able to be there for her like she had for him.

He loved Aerith.

But he was _in_ love with Tifa.

He could never be in love with Aerith. She was more a sister to Cloud than anything and he knew that it would always be that way. Sure, at one point he thought he felt more for her. But he had been confused.

He turned to Tifa and gave her a warm smile which was immediately returned. If only he had the courage to speak up and let her know how he felt. But was risking their perfect friendship worth it? Cloud had no idea how greatly the feelings he felt for her was returned.

Cloud wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace, hands stroking her hair that he so loved to feel between his fingers. She relaxed in his arms and nestled her head into the crook of his neck.

'I'm waiting for someone… Just not who you think,' Cloud thought.

* * *

Sephiroth had long fallen asleep after staying awake for countless nights in hope that Aerith might finally awaken. Obviously, his attempt was in vain as fate simply couldn't comply and he'd fallen asleep in the makeshift bed beside Aerith's sleeping form.

The eyes of the tired young woman had only just opened and she looked at her surroundings, trying to put a name to the place that looked so familiar to her. All she could remember was an excruciating pain in her side.

Eyes widening, she hastily undid a few of the buttons on her dress so as to see her stomach properly. The sight took her breath away. The scar she thought she'd be burdened with for all her life was… gone.

Although, she knew in place of the scar was the white orb that had caused herso much stress and confusion.

After buttoning up her dress, Aerith turned her attention to the figure sleeping soundly beside her. Confusion crossed her face as she struggled to move but found that she was too tired. After a few moments of trying to move, Aerith sighed in frustration. She was obviously going no where on her own.

But they needed to get out of here. There were people who needed their help.

Sighing, she took in his features that were now so peaceful, the idea of waking him up seemed almost cruel. With the moonlight reflecting off his skin and his sleek silver mane shimmering, Aerith noticed how… incredibly attractive he was.

It certainly wasn't the first time she'd noticed, though. Everytime he spoke to her, every time he brushed up against her she felt the all too familiar feeling of butterflies in her stomach. She would be a fool not to see it.

She found herself finally able to move her hand and she lightly brushed her fingers across his jaw line. She let her fingers rest there for a moment before retracting her hand.

"Sephiroth…" she whispered.

After gaining no response, she began to wonder how long he had been awake for. Actually, how long had it been since the Materia had entered her body? He was obviously tired or in some deep sleep because usually a whisper was all it took to get him up, due to his heightened senses.

"Sephiroth." Aerith said, poking him in the shoulder. Her face contorted into a frown when he still didn't stir.

She forced herself to sit up even though her muscles protested against it in a way they never had before. She groaned slightly when she moved over to Sephiroth.

"Sephy. Come on, wake up!" Aerith said, reaching her hand out to poke him in the face. Before she knew it, her hand was gripped rather painfully by Sephiroth's and she let out a startled yelp.

Sephiroth's lazy green eyes looked around, finally resting on her. He realized what he was doing and dropped her hand immediately. Aerith couldn't miss the slight glare that had appeared on his once peacefulface.

"So you finally decided to join us in the land of the living?" Sephiroth asked, annoyance seeping through his usually calm tones. Aerith looked away guiltily.

"How long?" She asked.

Sephiroth snorted and got himself off the bed. He moved over to look out the small misshapen window on the other side of the room.

"Four days. That PHS was driving me up the wall, by the way." Sephiroth said, motioning towards the PHS.

Aerith looked over at the contraption on the desk before looking at Sephiroth.

"Someone's been trying to call us? Why didn't you answer?" Aerith queried.

"You told me not to." Sephiroth clipped.

"Huh? What are you--" Aerith began.

"You woke up a few times telling me not to answer it. I simply figured it was the Planet speaking through you." Sephiroth said, cutting her off.

Aerith stood there staring at the PHS while thoughts tumbled through her head. The Planet speaking through her…? The Planet couldn't speak through anyone, it didn't have the power to. Aerith stood there contemplating how it could have happened before Sephiroth spoke up.

"It could have been the White Materia."

Something clicked in Aerith's mind. That's why the Planet wanted her to have Holy! It was the one thing that the Planet could have complete control over. Nobody, not even the Cetra, knew for sure the powers that the White Materia held and the Planet wouldn't reveal it to them either. But why did it want the power to speak through her?

"I believe we should be getting out of here."

Aerith looked over at Sephiroth and gave him a warm smile.

"Yes, I think we should." She chirped, tilting her head to the side.

* * *

Cid grumbled as he walked along the beach near Midgar, clothes torn and hair a mess. He and Cait had just spent a day of trying to fight off the annoying fiends that were now popping up in various places at one time. As far as he knew, everyone else had nothing else to deal with, so it was time to pick them up and get back to Cloud and Tifa.

Cait was slowly trailing behind him, tiny cape tattered and golden crown no where to be found.

"Man! Was that ever hard." Cait gasped, running to keep up with Cid.

Cid shot him a glance before stopping in his tracks. He stood and waited until Cait jumped onto his shoulder before continuing. There was no way that Avalanche could keep track of all these fiends and keep them away from the people!

His PHS ringing made him jump, startled, but he quickly regained him composure. He managed to pull his PHS out of his pocket and go to check who it was without a making a sound but once he saw the name, curses were flying.

"Cid $& Highwind, where the &$ have you $#$ been?" Cid yelled.

"Cid, stop swearing." A small voice sounded over the phone.

"Aerith, you alright?" Cid asked, wanting to hear an explanation. "What the hell happened?"

He heard Aerith giggle and his worry was quickly replaced with a wave of relief.

"Sephiroth and I got caught up in something but we're fine. How's everything out there?" Aerith asked.

Cid paused, wondering if he should tell her or not but decided it would have to wait.

"You need to get back to the Sierra. Everyone's been $&& worried about you. We'll tell you everything later." Cid said.

"Alright then. We'll see you later." Aerith said, hanging up.

Cid grumbled and turned his PHS off. At least he knew they were alright. But what of Yuffie and Vincent?

Cid continued walking with Cait chattering away in his ear, knowing that it was going to be a long day.

* * *

Everyone had managed to get back to the Sierra before Aerith and Sephiroth and they were patiently waiting in the meeting room for them. The news of their being alright had lifted most, if not all, of the tension from the air.

One question was left to be answered. Where were Vincent and Yuffie? Of course, there was the concept of Nanaki being ill and needing some sort of treatment but Aerith's healing powers would surely fix that up. Nobody had healing powers like the young Cetra.

Avalanche waited for the pair to get back before starting any kind of conversation. All of them, save Cloud and Tifa, were exhausted. They had been fighting the fiends all day until they had miraculously backed off.

Which brought up another question. Why had they backed off at the exact same time? And why were they untouchable one minute and touchable the next?

If anyone knew the answers to these questions, it was Red. Unfortunately, Nanaki was still unconscious and showing no signs of waking up anytime soon. The only thing they could do was wait for Aerith to walk in.

"Aerith may be Red's only chance." Tifa whispered to the group. Her statement was met with silence until Elena couldn't take it anymore.

"Why is that?" She asked.

"She is the most skilled healer on this Planet." Tifa started, looking at the floor. "If anyone can heal him, it should be her. If not…"

The group went silent once more. Until Aerith and Sephiroth walked in.

The pair of them looked around the room before taking a seat silently. Aerith lay her head on the table and waited for one of the others to start of conversation.

"Alright, what happened to you two?" Cloud asked, glaring at Sephiroth, a glare which Sephiroth decided to ignore.

Sephiroth proceeded to tell them their story with Aerith filling in the bits that he didn't know and were important. Cloud and Cid filled the two of them in on everything that had been happening the past few days they were gone. Aerith gasped at the last bit of news; Yuffie and Vincent were missing.

"How are they missing? They have a PHS, don't they?" Aerith asked.

Cid looked up at her before looking uncomfortably at the ground.

"I was on the $$ phone with the brat and she #$$& screamed and the line went $$& dead." Cid said as calmly as he could, though nobody could miss the unmistakable concern showing through.

Aerith went quiet for a moment, looking down at the table. An idea came to her and she asked if she and Sephiroth could be excused for a minute.

When they were out of earshot of the others, Aerith spoke.

"Sephy, we need to find them! You and me, let's go." Aerith pleaded.

Sephiroth regarded her for a moment.

"Wouldn't you be happier looking for them with your friends?" Sephiroth asked.

Hurt flashed in Aerith's eyes and Sephiroth immediately regretted what he said, but made no indication of the sort.

"Oh… I see." Aerith said looking down and Sephiroth looked away.

"Why?" Sephiroth heard Aerith ask.

Sephiroth looked over at her and snorted.

"It was simply a suggestion. You don't always have to be paired off with me." Sephiroth said, finding no better excuse and silently hoping she wished to go with him anyway.

Aerith smiled and put her hands behind her back, tilting her head to the side.

"Aw, but I asked you!" Aerith chirped and she was met with a genuine smile.

'He sure has changed…' Aerith thought. It was true, he had. And she was glad.

"Let's go tell the others then!" Aerith said, taking his hand and leading him into the other room. Everyone looked at them in surprise and Aerith noticed that both Cloud and Barret had averted their gaze.

Aerith smiled warmly at them even though it cut at her heart to see them giving her such disapproving looks. She could take care of herself!

"Sephiroth and I are going to search for Yuffie and Vincent." Aerith declared. Everyone gave them strange looks and a few of her friends looked alarmed.

"Aerith, you can't." Cloud stated, looking her in the eye.

Aerith looked at him and saw the emotions floating around in his mako-blue eyes. Aerith swallowed the lump in her throat before speaking again.

"Actually, I can. And I am." Aerith said. "Sephiroth won't let anything happen to me and besides, we can probablyfind them faster then any of you can."

"At least stay the night and get prepared. Get some rest." Tifa pleaded.

Aerith smiled at her before complying. She pulled Sephiroth out of the room with her and went to get something to eat, not quite being able to shake the feeling in her stomach when their hands touched.

She smiled and started skipping down the hall. Might as well make the best of it.

* * *


	13. Shocking Discoveries

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 13 - Shocking Discoveries_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and it's characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Yuffie shivered and curled into a ball as she lay outside in the pouring rain, sheltered by only a tree and Vincent's tattered red cape. Although, the cape did provide a lot more warmth then anyone would have thought at first glance. Vincent had insisted on following the fiends -- and they hadn't gotten very far. The fiend seemed to be wandering aimlessly, like it knew that she and Vincent were following it. Yuffie whimpered slightly before standing up, pulling the cape around her tighter.

"Vinnie. I'm so cold!" Yuffie whispered, walking over to the gunslinger who was sitting and looking into the rain.

Vincent gave her a glance and he briefly wondered why she hadn't changed her choice of clothing over the past six months. Surely she knew better by now, after their experience with climbing Gaia Peaks, that she should wear something suited for most, if not all, types of climates.

Yuffie sat down beside him and leant against him. He wrapped his arm around her, though a bit hesitantly. Vincent had to admit -- he and Yuffie had become close.

Maybe too close.

They were always paired off with each other. Not only because they simply worked well together -- but also because Vincent happened to be the only one who could put up with Yuffie. But as time went on, Vincent was finding himself coming to a realization. He liked Yuffie.

He _really_ liked Yuffie.

'Time to go back to that coffin...' He thought, slightly disgusted with himself. He had no right! Lucrecia... His beautiful Lucrecia had a great hold over his heart, more then he would have liked to admit.

-Get over yourself...-

Vincent decided to push the thoughts out of his mind and ignored Chaos' constant chattingbut they always seemed to find their way back to him. He looked down to the girl almost asleep, nestled against him. Her shivering hadn't completely stopped yet so Vincent settled himself behind her, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on the top of her head.

He found himself at one point, drifting off into a slumber but forced himself to remain awake. This fiend was too important to be lost and never found. He concentrated simply on the sound of Yuffie's soft and even breathing and the raindrops hitting the leaves around them.

And Vincent Valentine found himself most at peace for once in a very long time.

* * *

Yuffie tried not to be lulled by the sound of Vincent's steady heartbeat, but to no avail. Black clouds were entering her line of vision and she found herself succumbing to the darkness.

Yuffie didn't know when it had started. She had thought, at first, that it was just a silly crush! She'd liked Cloud, and Yuffie thought he was more or less gay with the amount of time he spent on his hair, Vincent was simply the next best thing! She'd found herself denying itand denying it, trying to find something that wasn't to like about him.

What wasn't to like, though?

He was a gentlemen, always putting others first. He may have been quite cut off from the world at one point but he'd sure as hell been through enough to put him there. He was compassionate, smart in his own way…

Endless possibilities.

Yuffie didn't quite understand how she and Vincent had become as close as they had become. Vincent had always been so… brooding and dark… But Yuffie found herself more and more attracted and had tried to get to know him better.

He had done the same, it seemed.

The endless thoughts spinning through her head caused her to become even more tired and she couldn't stay awake any longer. Knowing she was safe, having Vincent's arms wrapped around her, protecting her from the world…

Yuffie feel into a deep sleep, Vincent Valentine in her dreams.

* * *

It had been two long days since Aerith and Sephiroth had first gone out to search for clues as to where Vincent and Yuffie may have gone. Two days consisting of bickering and disagreements. Today, the third day, they had both decided to head back and tell the rest of Avalanche that they should be officially worried.

Aerith also couldn't seem to keep her mind off of Red. The night she and Sephiroth had returned to the Sierra after a long four days of silence, Tifa had asked her to try and heal Red.

It hadn't worked. If anything, it had only left Aerith completely exhausted.

"Thinking about that feline again?" Sephiroth spoke out of no where. Aerith narrowed her eyes at him and began to walk faster, away from him.

"I take that as a yes."

The fact that Aerith hadn't been able to keep her mind off of Red was the reason Sephiroth was so angry with her. Her blatant disregard for anything but Red caused her to lose focus. It also didn't help when the Planet wouldn't stop talking to her.

"Why do you insist on continuing our disagreements two days after the fact?" Aerith snapped.

Sephiroth stopped in his tracks behind her.

"Had you been more focused, maybe we could have found something." Sephiroth retaliated. She had been so moody ever since they had left the airship. She was beginning to annoy him to no end.

Aerith spun around and walked up to him.

"I'm so sorry that I happen to be worried about my friend. I'm also so sorry that thing didn't and aren't going the way you want them to." Aerith snarled.

"Maybe we shouldn't have even tried to find them!"

"Maybe we shouldn't have!"

They glared daggers at each other for a bit before Aerith stalked off.

* * *

The moment Aerith walked into the Sierra, Avalanche knew something was off. She hadn't said a word to any of them, simply striding off in the direction of Red's quarters.

Sephiroth walked in a little while later and Cloud and Barret sent him glares. Sephiroth promptly ignored their childish behaviour and went to his own room.

"Well… That's something I never thought I'd see." Cid said, lighting a cigarette. Most nodded in agreement.

"Spike. What we gonna do 'bout Yuff and Vince?" Barret questioned, turning to look at Cloud. Cloud regarded them all for a moment before speaking.

"First, we need to figure out what's up with those two and find out if they know anything. Then…" Cloud looked around at everyone uncertainly.

"I don't know!" He finally said, throwing his hands in the air.

"Perhaps we should try and figure out what is causing Red's illness." Rude spoke up from the other side of the room. "If something like this happens to one of us, we'll need to know what to do about it. I'm sure Vincent and Yuffie can handle themselves." He finished.

Everyone stared at him in obvious amazement. That was surely the most they'd ever heard from Rude before.

Tifa took the opportunity to step in.

"I'll talk to the both of them." Tifa said, trying to ignore everyone's looks of protest and uncertainty.

"I need to." She said, walking off towards where Aerith had gone off to.

* * *

Tifa walked into Red's room and found Aerith there, crying.

"Aerith, honey, what's wrong. What happened between you and Sephiroth too? You both just kind of… waltzed in here without a word." Tifa said, wishing to soothe her friend.

Aerith looked up in shock at Tifa finding her like this. She hadn't expected anyone to follow her. She had been needing to cry for a while, to let everything out. Being resurrected, trying to tame Sephiroth, dealing with Cloud and Barret, disappearances, the Planet… It was taking it's toll on her.

"I… I didn't think anyone would follow…" Aerith said quietly.

Tifa sat down beside her, looking wistfully at Red before speaking again.

"Just tell me… You know you can talk to me." Tifa said, placing her hand on Aerith's shoulder.

A new batch of tears rolled down Aerith's cheeks. A sob burst forth and she crumbled in front of Tifa.

"I-I just… I d-didn't expect for everything to b-be s-so hard…"

Tifa listened intently, fully intending to hear Aerith out.

"I n-never thought I'd… Get a-another ch-chance at life… I was j-just so overwhelmed." The tears were coming in full waves now. "S-sephiroth isn't m-making it any easier… W-we had a stupid f-fight because I wasn't f-focused. I didn't mean to b-blow up in his face either… I've been acting so d-differently lately, I'm just s-so c-confused."

Tifa put her arm around Aerith and urged her onward.

"I'm listening…"

"C-cloud had been so… d-difficult. Sephiroth is d-different now! Why c-can't everyone just make some s-sort of effort!"

A few choked sobs were heard before she continued.

"A-and… Yuffie and Vincent… They could b-be in trouble. But the P-Planet! G-god, it's being so… so… so…" Aerith sighed.

"I-I don't know… E-everything is so screwed up…" Aerith said, her sobbing down to a few hiccups here and there, though the tears kept coming.

"Hon, nobody blames you for any of this you know. And Sephiroth will come around. So will everyone else. You have to believe that."

Aerith sniffed and smiled. Trust Tifa to be up beat and understanding.

"Yuffie and Vincent, they're fine. You know Vincent is easier to beat then that! Besides, those two have become pretty close, he wouldn't let anything happen to her." Tifa laughed.

"Ironic, eh? Remember the night we were at the Gold Saucer?" Tifa said.

Aerith nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Well, Yuffie came to me that night. She told me she had feelings for a certain somebody. I pried and pried and she finally spilled. It was Vincent! She wanted to continue to work in pairs with him and she came to me because I had second choice in the group." Tifa smiled and shook her head.

"I remember her telling me that if I told anyone, her Conformer would be placed somewhere the 'sun don't shine'." Both girls chuckled.

"It seems then…" Aerith sniffed. "That she got her wish."

"Yea…" Tifa trailed off, before smiling slyly.

"So… What's with you and Sephiroth?" Tifa asked, poking Aerith.

Aerith blushed and turned to Tifa, smacking her playfully on the arm before standing up.

"What do you mean? There's nothing going on." Aerith said, fighting to hide the blush that was taking her face.

Tifa got up and shut the door leading into the room.

"Awww, come on! You can tell me!" Tifa said. "You can totally see it. He likes you and I know you like him."

Aerith looked over at her.

"Is it that obvious…" Aerith asked timidly. "And how do you know he likes me?"

Tifa laughed and walked up to her, putting her hands on her shoulders.

"It's simply me legendary sixth sense kicking in. Sephiroth is… different around you." Tifa said knowingly. "He was never like that with anyone. Not even your father."

Aerith's eyes locked with Tifa's.

"How did you…?" She began, but Tifa waved her hand.

"Cloud, Zack and Sephiroth used to talk a lot. Sephiroth only ever really considered Zack and Cloud to be his friends. He was different around them too."

"I see." Aerith said, slightly saddened at the mention of Zack.

"Either way, you should go talk to Sephiroth. I'll keep your little secret don't worry!"

Aerith eyed her sceptically.

"Why are you so… accepting of everything?" Aerith queried.

Tifa flashed her a smile.

"I knew Sephiroth before the accident in Nibelheim. I also trust you. He does seem a lot different, more like the Sephiroth I once knew. Besides, I always knew in the back of my mind that it wasn't his fault."

Aerith gave Tifa and grateful smile.

"But…"

"But what?" Aerith asked cautiously.

"I need to talk to him first, ok?" Tifa asked.

Aerith looked thoughtful for a second before smiling at her.

"Oh, alright. I suppose I could stay with Red a bit longer…"

"Thanks." Tifa said, giving her the first genuine smile she'd given anyone over the course of a few days. Things were starting to look up, she thought.

* * *

Tifa stopped hesitantly at Sephiroth's door. Was she really ready to do this? Yes, she had to. It was inevitable, right? Even though she knew that Sephiroth was aware of her presence, Tifa knocked.

A few moments of silence passed before her knock was answered.

"Who is it?" Asked Sephiroth, voice gruff.

Tifa swallowed thickly.

"It… It's Tifa." She said.

Another few moments.

"Come in…" She heard, and she opened the door.

* * *

Aerith had been sitting alone with Red for a good ten minutes when she heard someone enter. She turned to find Cloud walking toward her and Barret closing the door.

'Oh no…' She thought. Both Cloud and Barret were not to happy with the fact that Sephiroth had stayed with the group. The suspicion that Sephiroth had done something to make Aerith upset earlier, only fed them more confidence.

"Cloud, Barret…" Aerith acknowledged them, turning around to face Red again.

Their was a pregnant pause before Cloud spoke up.

"Aerith we need to talk to you." Cloud said.

Aerith sighed.

"About?"

"Sephiroth."

She'd knew it. Why had she even asked, 'about?' It was painfully clear that they didn't approve of Sephiroth or the fact that she's spent time with him and had paired off with him.

Aerith sighed again, turning to face the two men.

"I don't think there is anything we need to discuss --" Aerith started, but was cut off.

"We don wan you anywhere near that foo'!" Barret spoke.

Aerith frowned and stood up.

"I really don't need this right now…" She said, heading for the door but Cloud stood in front of her, blocking her path.

"Aerith, he's dangerous. What if he goes insane again? What if you happen to be with him when that happens?" Cloud asked, Barret nodding his agreement.

A rush of anger filled Aerith.

"What do you mean, 'when' is happens? It's not going to happen. He's changed, can't you see that." Aerith spoke calmly despite the waves rolling through her.

Cloud's gaze hardened.

"Aerith, the foo' is unpredictable. What ya gonna do when he suddenly turns on ya?" Barret asked.

"Do you trust me?" Aerith whispered, tears threatening to fall. She was literally on an emotional roller coaster due to the conversation she and Tifa had just had.

"Of course we trust you. We just don't trust him." Cloud said, his protectiveness showing.

"Well you're going to have to trust me alone. You know I would never do anything to hurt any of you."

"We kn--"

"No, obviously you don't." Aerith said.

Cloud gave her a forlorn expression.

"I need to go…" Aerith said, pushing past them and out the door.

* * *

"Sorry if I interrupted…" Tifa said, seeing the book in his hands.

Sephiroth looked at her for a moment before putting the book down. 'This must be important…' Sephiroth thought. She looked much happier today, he noticed. More like her usual self.

"You would like, Miss Lockheart?" Sephiroth asked.

Tifa walked over to him and gestured to the end of his bed.

"May I?"

Sephiroth nodded and she sat down.

She sighed and fidgeted with her sleeves before saying anything.

"Look… Sephiroth. I realize that you've been through a lot, what with your child hood and Jenova. I also realize that you've changed. You're now the Sephiroth I knew before the Nibelheim incident. I just…" Tifa trailed off.

"I'm truly sorry for everything I've ever done to you…" Sephiroth said, his voice filled with regret.

"You had done nothing to me. In fact, you had only ever helped me. I know my words can't bring your father back, can't bring all the friends you lost in Nibelheim back but…"

"Sephiroth." Tifa cut him off, filled with confidence. "I don't blame you. For anything. I know you were being controlled, I saw how easy it was for Cloud to become controlled and I could never be angry at him. So why should I you?" Tifa said.

"I know I can't get my father back and I know my friends in Nibelheim and in various places corrupted by Jenova will never come back but I have to focus on the future."

She turned to him and smiled.

"I forgive you. I really do and I hope we can at least become friends."

Sephiroth stared in shock at her before regaining himself. He didn't know why he felt so relieved. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders and all because of this young woman.

He cleared his throat, looking at the ground.

"I… Thank you." He looked up at her.

Tifa smiled. She'd seen how shocked he'd been and she could see in his eyes that he was relieved.

A knock on the door caused Tifa to jump. She stood up and motioned towards the door. Sephiroth nodded and she went to open it. Aerith was there in tears.

"Aerith! What happened…?" Tifa asked, concerned.

She heard Sephiroth get up off his bed and walk over to them.

Tifa smiled to Aerith and decided to end her visit there. She turned around after squeezing her friends arm and gave Sephiroth a smile. A smile exchanged between two friends.

"I'll see you later Sephiroth. Take care of Aerith for me." She said, before slipping out of his room. She skipped down the hallway feeling much better. She only wished that the rest of Avalanche could follow her example.

* * *

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes.

"What's wrong?" He asked, leading her inside.

Aerith sniffled and lay down on his bed.

"I'm just so tired of everyone trying to look out for me but only making things worse. I know they're just trying to be helpful and they're acting like any best friend would but… A couple of them are taking it too far."

"Strife?" Sephiroth asked in a cold voice.

Aerith merely nodded and silence filled the room.

"I'm sorry. For everything." Aerith said.

Sephiroth looked at her, confused. She explained what she meant, even though Sephiroth believed she didn't have to. It wasn't her fault.

"About today. I'm just so frustrated. We haven't even been here two weeks and everything is so out of control. I'm really tired too. Never got much sleep since the White Materia." Aerith said.

Sephiroth shook his head.

"You don't have to be sorry. I was out of line. Nanaki is your friend, I shouldn't have been so inconsiderate."

Aerith smiled and rolled over to face him. She couldn't help the warm feeling spreading through her. She was really beginning to feel comfortable around Sephiroth. She sometimes even wished to be with him, even if only just to talk, when she was alone on the airship.

"You just apologized." She chanted.

"So?"

"So I'm going to use it against you one day, Sephy."

Sephiroth smirked and was about to say something when a scream was heard. It seemed to be coming from the hallway outside. Sephiroth, at first, passed it off as the rest of Avalanche doing something strange but when everyone else started yelling, he knew something was wrong.

Aerith made it to the door before him, not passing anything off as her friends acting strange. The moment she opened the door, a blur of orange knocked her over.

When she focused she saw it was Red, but something was wrong.

"Red…?" Aerith said, standing up slowly.

His eye was no longer yellow, but glowing green and his other eye was the same; his eye patch was gone. His leg was glowing as well, shaking every few seconds.

The rest of Avalanche appeared at the doorway and Tifa gasped.

"Aerith, don't go near him!"

"What's wrong with him?" Aerith asked, backing away from him. She noticed Sephiroth and Cid were following slowly behind Red, ready to grab him at the best opportunity.

"The foo' opened his eyes and started tearin up his goddamn room! He leaped at Tif and ya wanna know what he tried tah do? He tried tah bite 'er!" Barret answered.

Aerith nodded and felt the bed behind her.

"Aerith… Stop backing up, come over here…" Cloud said, motioning for her to do as he said.

Unexpectedly, Red jumped at her before either Sephiroth or Cid could grab him. Aerith narrowly missed being bitten and turned around in time to see him jumping at her again. Knowing she had no time to escape, she closed her eyes, waiting for the searing pain.

But nothing came and Aerith opened one eye. She saw Red growling at her and the Masamune stopping Red from moving any farther. Aerith looked about ready to cry. Sephiroth moved to stand in front of her and Red backed off. He ran over to the window, howled and before anyone could stop him, he jumped out the window. Off the ship.

The Avalanche crew stood in shock at what the had just witnessed.

Cloud and Cait moved over to Aerith in record time and checked for any cuts, bite marks, anything. The Turks eventually showed up as well after hearing the commotion and Avalanche filled them in on everything.

After they made sure Aerith was in one piece and would stay that way, Avalanche decided to call it a night. In the morning, they would search non stop for their three comrades; Yuffie, Vincent and Red.

* * *

"This is getting out of control!" Elena sighed, exasperated.

"I'll say…" Reno mumbled, pulling a beer out of the fridge in their room.

"…." Was all Rude had to offer.

"I know man! Any day now!" Reno answered.

Elena looked at him, confused.

"He said that they should be tearing each other's throats out pretty soon. Everyone is tired, tense. Valentine is missing, along with that numbskull of a girl."

"Reno, she's not a numbskull." Elena scolded.

Reno mumbled and threw the now empty beer bottle out the window. He decided to follow Rude's example and crash for the night.

Elena sighed and went to look out the window.

"He really jumped out the window?" Elena mumbled in amazement. "He'd be lucky he even survived."

Elena pulled out of the window and looked over at her two best friends who were now sleeping soundly. Elena would have tried to do the same, but she was so worried about Yuffie. 'Too worried', she remembered Reno saying. 'Valentine can take care of that pipsqueak.'

Tifa, Yuffie and herself had become rather close over the six months they had been free of fighting. They'd talked and Yuffie and Tifa had began to trust her, even going to far as to include her in their 'pirvate, girl's only' conversations.

Elena sighed. How she wished for things to go back to normal again. She never wanted to pick up another gun ever again after everyone had settled down. She'd simply wanted to travel with Reno and Rude, even if it did mean spending her nights at a bar.

Elena moved to lay on the bed beside Reno.

'Maybe things will go back to normal after all of this…' She thought. She truly hoped so.

* * *

Yuffie began to feel heavy. She didn't have anymore strength to lift her feet up. She and Vincent had been walking for hours now and she was exhausted.

"Yuffie. You should see this." Vincent said.

Yuffie stopped feeling sorry for herself and rushed over when she heard the concern in his voice. Vincent was never concerned. When she made is over to him, what she saw shocked her to no end and she realized why Vincent was so suddenly concerned.

Here, in the middle of the forest, was a huge mako pool.

"Oh my goodness…" Yuffie gasped, her eyes bulging. There had been no disturbances on the Planet's surface for the longest time! This couldn't be possible!

Yuffie shrieked when she saw the pool begin to bubble slightly. The next thing she knew, something was starting to rise out of it.

* * *


	14. Tension Part 1

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 14 - Tension Prt. 1_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and it's characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Aerith wasn't sure if things could get much worse. Things between Avalanche had slowly begun to fall apart as the days wore on. The Planet's usually soft and soothing hum was getting quieter by the day and Aerith knew it was only a matter of time before things got beyond controllable.

Sephiroth made a sound of annoyance from across the room. Aerith turned her head slightly to find him pacing.

Cloud had insisted that everyone stay together somehow; they had ended up pairing off. It came as no surprise to Aerith that she had ended up with Sephiroth. She was after all, the only person, save Tifa, who could handle being close to Sephiroth. Aerith couldn't help but push away the image of Cloud's eyes so full of disgust and resentment as he'd told everyone that he and Aerith were to stay together. His excuse had been that if Red were to come back, Sephiroth was the only person with the speed and strength that succeeded Red's; he would be Aerith's best protector.

Aerith shuddered at the passionate rage she had seen in Cloud's eyes when his and Sephiroth's eyes had locked.

"Sephy, where are the others?" Aerith asked, fumbling with her braid, trying to push the unwanted thoughts into the recesses of her mind.

Sephiroth looked over at her with reptilian eyes, piercing her own.

"I assume that they are all in their rooms... Discussing." He finished, crossing the room to sit on the bed by her feet.

"I can't believe how things have turned out so far..." Aerith whispered, closing her eyes. She desparately seeked guidance from the Planet and couldn't help but feel troubled at the fact that the Planet was somehow beginning to lose it's connection to her.

Or was it something else entirely?

Sephiroth looked at her closely, inspecting her features. She looked rather tired, he noticed. Sighing, he stood and made his way over to the door. He caught Aerith's questioning glance out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm going to the deck for a bit." Sephiroth stated.

'Oh, yes.' Aerith thought. He'd ways seemed to be at peace when he was staring out into the sky, his hair whipping wildly in the wind. Aerith smiled at the fact that maybe even the wind and the surroundings wanted a piece of him too. _Like I do. _Aerith blinked suddenly and felt the blood rise to her face. She hoped Sephiroth hadn't seen. How could she think of such a thing right now?

An uneasy feeling unexpectedly started to creep into the pit of her stomach. What if Red came back when Sephiroth was gone, wasn't here?

"You are welcome to join me if you wish." Giving her a knowing look, he added, "either way, you'll be safe."

He'd spoken with such confidence that Aerith couldn't help but relax. She smiled to herself before answering.

"Alright then! Let's go!"

* * *

Barret stared heavy lidded at the ceiling, thoughts running rampant in his mind. Between Aerith and Sephiroth's unexpected return and Kalm being attacked Barret had begun to think he was going to lose his mind. Now, to top it all off, Red had gone ballistic and had tried to hurt Aerith -- or worse. Barret frowned, what had that good for nothing fiend done to Red to make him act so rashly? Naturally, Barret had put up his defensive front when around the others so nobody could notice how worried he was.

Closing his eyes, Barret took a big, calming breath and exhaled, focusing on the two people he'd been happily living with previously; Marlene, his daughter, and Elmyra, Aerith's adoptive mother.

Marlene had grown so much and in such a little span of time. By the time Barret had returned after Meteor's demise, she was like a completely different person. Elmyra had taken such good care of her, done such wonders.

Barret gave the ceiling a lop-sided grin at the thought of Elmyra.

Unfortunately, Barret's thoughts weren't meant to dwell on the sweet lady he was slowly beginning to feel something for. The laughter eminating from the hallway just outside his door was enough to destroy his happy mood; Sephiroth and Aerith.

Barret frowned. Again. How close had those two become? How close were they _going_ to become?

Grumbling, Barret forced the thoughts out of his mind. He tried, at least.

"Damn $&$ kids!" Cid yelled grumpily from his spot on the other bed. He had been asleep and now Barret would have to deal with his constant 'oh woe is me' act. Barret groaned. This was going to be one long night.

* * *

Vincent pulled the stunned Yuffie away from the Mako pool as the body of a fiend formed.

"Oh my gawd..." Yuffie whispered, backing up until she hit Vincent's chest.

Vincent simply stood there, ready to move if need be. Though Yuffie couldn't visibly see or feel it, she knew Vincent was just as, if not more, shocked and confused then herself.

The fiend continued to raise itself out of the glowing mess, bits of mako continually dripping off the fiend's body as it slowly began to walk away from the duo and the mako.

Yuffie tensed as the fiend turned it's eyes in their direction but it was as if the fiend couldn't see them. Once it was out of sight, Yuffie released the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

Turning to Vincent, she looked up into his face. He wore his usual expressionless mask that Yuffie could not seem to pry off of him, even in the company of only herself. She frowned.

"Now can we go back to Avalanch-y?" Yuffie asked.

Vincent looked down at her with the blood-red eyes that she had grown accustomed to. He nodded.

"Yes, Yuffie. We can go now."

Jumping around wildly, Yuffie let out all the energy she could. It was going to be a long walk, after all, and Yuffie didn't _really_ want to talk Vincent's ear off. Right?

* * *

"You did _what_?" Cloud seethed, looking incredulously at the woman standing before him. How could she... Didn't she...?

Tifa shook her head. When would he ever get it through his thick skull. Would he ever? Tifa wondered.

"I forgave him."

Cloud narrowed his eyes at her. "Why would you do that?"

Tifa turned and walked to the window.

"Why not, Cloud? He knows what he did was wrong. Like we told you, he was being --"

"I don't _CARE_ if he was being controlled!" Cloud shouted.

Tifa jumped, startled, at the tone of his voice.

"Don't you even care, Tifa? About all the people we lost to him? Our parents? Our, no, excuse me, _your_ friends? Don't you care that he burnt our hometown to the _ground_?" Cloud ground out.

Tifa looked at him with a hurt expression. Of course she cared.

"Cloud we forgave you! Why not Sephiroth?" Tifa questioned.

"We are two completely different people! I never killed mercilessly!"

"YOU FELL INTO THE LIFESTREAM. Had you not, you may have still been under their control, you may have ended up killing mercilessly or ended up helping Sephiroth in his plan to destroy the Planet!" Tifa yelled, her voice reaching a dangerous level.

Cloud looked at her, egging her on.

"You _did_ give him the black materia, you know. You _did_ allow him to summon meteor. You _DID_ almost once, no, _TWICE_ try to kill Aerith yourself! What _more_ do you want?" Tifa challenged. "You also were controlled, Cloud. WHY would you blame Sephiroth when you know from first-hand experience how strong Jenova and Sephiroth's, at that time, mind control was?"

Cloud knew what Tifa was saying and he knew that it was true, but it was simply too much for him to take. She'd once tried to destroy this man with all her being! How could she, and many others, simply forgive him in a heartbeat?

"How many of the others have forgiven him? How many of the others have gone behind my _back_?" Cloud said, trying to keep his voice down so he didn't cause any disruption between the others.

Tifa gave him a hard look before looking to the door. Someone was coming. Someone ending up being all of Avalanche and the Turks.

* * *

Aerith reached Tifa and Cloud's room before anyone else had. She opened the door quickly to see the two childhood friends glaring at eachother with something she'd never seen them show eachother before.

"What's going on?" She asked, the Turks coming in behind Sephiroth and Cid.

Cloud turned to her, eyes blazing. When he caught sight of Sephiroth, Cloud strode over to him. Aerith quickly stepped in front of him to prevent Cloud from doing anything stupid. He wouldn't hurt her and she knew it.

"You bastard, what have you done to her?" Cloud said, glaring at Sephiroth with such contempt that Avalanche and the Turks were taken aback. They'd always known Cloud had disliked Sephiroth, but did his feelings really run so deep?

"What the && you doing now, Strife?" Reno asked, not at all unconfortable with what was happening in front of him.

Cloud sent him a glare.

"Yo, I'm not here to fight. I can see you're fighting with the pretty lady over there, though." Reno flashed Tifa one of his overly charming and sexy grins. Tifa gave him 'the look' and Reno shut up, looking rather disappointed.

"You've brainwashed her. You've brainwashed them all, haven't you?"

Sephiroth rose an eyebrow in question. What was he getting at?

"Tifa _forgave_ you?"

Sephiroth smirked.

"She came to me of her own will. I did nothing to force her into such an act." Sephiroth said.

"Cloud, I think this needs to stop." Tifa said.

Cloud heard the confidence in her voice and tried to ignore the logic that she always managed to put out on the table. He knew she was about to say something completely logical, completely true. Sometimes, he hated having such a smart and perceptive best friend.

Aerith sighed. "Cloud, why don't you just tell us all now. Why do you feel the things you do towards Sephiroth?"

Cloud glared at Sephiroth. "Youdestroyed my hometown, my only family, you almost killed Tifa and you _did_ kill Aerith. Tell me why I owe you _anything_?"

"You don't."

Cloud was momentarily stunned by this honest answer, but managed to hide it.

"There is nothing I can do to bring all the people I killed back. You'll simply have to deal with my apology, which is sincere. I don't wish for you to befriend me, in fact, I am repulsed by such an idea. Hopefully, we will be able to at least work together." Sephiroth said, eyeing Cloud.

Cloud knew that what Sephiroth was saying, he was saying with some amountof sincerity. But there was no way he would say anything to him. He didn't owe him anything, nothing at all. He'd taken away everything precious in his life. Everything and everyone.

"I don't have time for this." Cloud said, pushing past Sephiroth. He left without a single word to any of them, not even an apology to Tifa.

* * *

"Ugh, this is going too far. He is blowing this way out of proportion!" Tifa mumbled, moving over to her bed.

"I'm so sorry, Tifa..." Aerith apologized, for what, Tifa was unsure.

"You did nothing wrong. I'll try to talk to him later. Everything is just so out of order. It's taking it's toll. I think he blames himself for Yuffie and Vincent's disappearance, too."

"That's no reason so take it out on you." Elena chided.

Rude cleared his throat.

Everyone looked over at him.

"Sephiroth, maybe you should be the one to put up a friendly front and talk to him privately." He suggested before turning and leaving. Sephiroth took this in and decided he would consider it. They needed as little tension around here and within the group as they could get. Everyone needed to be here, to be able to fight and win against whatever was happening.

Elena walked across the room to and sat in a chair beside Tifa's bed.

"I'm going to stay here for a bit." Elena said nonchalantly, turning to Tifa with a question in her eyes. Tifa nodded and everyone took their cue to leave. Aerith and Sephiroth were the last ones, Aerithapologizing profusely. Tifa waved them off and Sephiroth closed the door. A certain red-headed Turk was still standing there.

"Tifa sure is one hell of a chick, eh?" Reno said, swinging his mag rod around in his fingers, being careful not to shock himself in the process. Aerith managed to roll her eyes for once in her life and said something nobody thought they would ever hear from Aerith. Especially not when addressed to another person, her friend no less.

"Reno. Shut up." Aerith said, quickly walking away.

Reno shot her a glare and Sephiroth a questioning glance, but Sephiroth shook his head. He had no idea.

* * *

Reno strolled into the overly large kitchen in the Sierra. He walked over to fridge, passing both Barret and Rude. He grabbed a beer and, without shutting the refridgerator door, sat down oppotsite Barret, beside Rude.

Barret growled. "Close the door, damn Turk."

"You gotta problem with me?" Reno challenged.

"Yea, I do you motha &#&#&." Barret retorted.

Reno slouched over in his chair and gave a lazy grin.

"Mad that you ain't able to relax in such conditions?" Reno asked unknowingly. Barret wasn't in the mood for playful banter.

Barret scowled and stood up, shutting the refridgerator door. He was about to walk out of the kitchen when a comment Reno made reached his ears.

_'Damn, someone sure misses that slut of a woman back home.'_

Barret turned to him, eyes dancing with fire. He saw Rude give him a warning glance but Barret was too far gone. He needed to let off some steam anyway.

"&$&$ Turk!" Barret shouted, throwing a knife from the counter at his head.

Reno looked up and dodged just in time to miss the sharp knife.

"Dammit, &&#!" Reno yelled.

Aerith walked into the kitchen the moment the knife had flown at Reno's head. She called out to Barret at he started walking over to Reno but it was too late. One swift punch from Barret and the Turk was face down on the ground. Reno managed to get himself up after a moment of being stunned and just missed another punch from the large black man.

"Wow, what in the &$$ &$ are you doing?" Reno asked.

"Teach you tah talk bout other people like that you foo'!"

Reno's face managed to contort into that of a person who suddenly discovered something.

"I didn't mean it man! Things are --" He was abruptly cut off by Barret cursing. He missed another punch but wasn't so lucky the next moment, as Barret'sgun armconnected with his ribs. Reno managed to glimpse Rude walking towards them but Barret was already too into his next move, Rude wouldn't be able to make it and Reno was out of breath.

"Stop it!"

Reno shut his eyes, waiting for the pain but nothing came. He looked up to see black gloved hands grasping both of Barret's arms, just stopping them from hitting their target.

"$&$ bastard, get offa me!"

Sephiroth pushed Barret back and away from both Reno and himself. Barret looked to the side and saw Aerith in tears. He felt a wave of guilt but a rush of panic managed to overtake it as Aerith suddenly fell to the floor. Sephiroth, with his amazingly enhanced reflexes, was able to make it over to her just in time to stop her from hitting the floor.

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Tifa... But... They're like..." Elena sighed, looking pleadingly at Tifa. Tifa shook her head, gesturing that it was alright with her.

"You better come back. Everyone is under alot of stress. I'm sure Barret didn't mean it..." Tifa trailed off knowing any further discussion would prove to be futile. She really had no idea what had come over Barret. The stress alone couldn't have been enough, everyone was feeling it. Barret could keep himself in check, she knew that.

_Whatever it was, whatever it is, we're going to be alright. Everything's fine._

Tifa knew she didn't really believe it though. If it wasn't enough, apparently there was something going on with Aerith that nobody but Sephiroth had known about.

_Though it does make sense... She and Sephiroth share something special..._

Shaking the unessecary thoughts away, Tifa waved one last time to the departing Turks. Reno had decided they were to leave after the fight that had broken out between he and Barret.

Tifa looked down at the PHS sitting in her hand that Elena had reluctantly handed over. Despite Tifa's worries and persistence when it came to the Turks keeping the PHS for safe keeping,Reno had declined.Tears sprung to her eyes but she willed them away. No. She had to be strong. If not her, who else? With a fierce determination, Tifa made her way down to Barret's room -- Where both Cid and Sephiroth were probably yelling at him. She was going to teach _someone_ a lesson.

* * *

"$$ $&$! What the #&$& were you thinkin'?" Cid yelled. How, no,what had come over him?

Barret glared at the man standing over him. He made sure to avoid the burning eyes of Sephiroth. He knew he was mad about Aerith's swooning act -- Who wouldn't be?

"That was foolish of you. Picking a fight with the Turks only to cause them to leave. We _need_ them. We need all the help we can get. You may have just cost someone on this team their _life_." Sephiroth's cold voice put Barret's thoughts on hold, Cid's mouth in place.

Cid looked at Sephiroth out of the corner of his eye after seeing Barret's face darken. Barret felt guilty -- he knew that. Barret needed to learn a lesson -- he knew that. But, was this a productive use of their time? What if something were to happen to the Turks? What if there was a spotting of their friend's and they missed it?

"I'm going to go and watch the &$ radar. You keep your #$& mouth shut you mother $&$ Barret." Cid glared, stomping out of the room, nearly running into Tifa.

Sephiroth turned and watched as Tifa came into the room. She smiled to him and he smiled back. Barret shook his head.

"How's Aerith?" Tifa asked.

Sephiroth avoided her gaze.

"What's wrong with her?" Tifa pressed, instantly concerned.

Sephiroth sighed. "She's showing no sign of life. She's breathing -- but there are certain things one should respond to."

Tifa eyedhim warily. "And...?"

Sephiroth looked at her, seeing the concern etched onto her pretty face.

"She's not waking. She probably won't for a few days." He glanced over at her. Tifa had the suspicion that there was more to it, but she dropped the subject knowing Sephiroth was worried enough as it was.

* * *

Barret inwardly cringed when he heard Sephiroth say that Aerith wouldn't wake. How long? Even he wasn't sure. Only when Tifa suggested Sephiroth check on Aerith, she would see him later, did he dare look up. Unfortunatly, he looked straight into the burning eyes of Tifa Lockheart.

"What were you thinking?" Tifa whispered.

Barret looked down again.

"He... That foo'! He said somethin' bout Elmyra!"

Tifa started, surprised. Elmyra? What did she have to do with this?

"What did he say?"

Barret mumbled something and Tifa couldn't quite catch it.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"It doesn't matter anymore! Jes leave me alone fer a bit, would ya?" Barret said, falling back on the bed, rolling over.

* * *

Sephiroth stepped calmly into Aerith's overly pink room. He'd never particularly liked pink, but now he was sure he never wanted to see the color again.

_Unless it's on her._

Sephiroth took a step back in surprise. Putting a hand to his head, he closed his eyes. What is this?

The next time he opened his eyes he was staring at a moving Aerith. Surprise showed on his face as he moved over to the bed. Slowly, he moved to sit in front of her, looking into her eyes.

"Aerith?" Sephiroth gasped. No, this couldn't be Aerith. Her eyes weren't that beautiful green that he constantly found himself getting lost in anymore -- they were dark blue.

Dark blue, like before in the Lifestream.

"Planet...?" Sephiroth tempted.

Aerith's gaze locked with his immediately.

"This is strange... Seeing my children through clear eyes..."

Sephiroth backed up slightly until he heard someone at the door.Sephiroth looked to Aerith, the Planet, for confirmation. Open or close?

"This is a... private... conversation."

Sephiroth moved over to the door quickly. "Tifa, I'm afraid I need a moment alone with her before you can see her." He glanced over at his pink-clad healer. His?

"Alright then. I'll be on deck with Cid." Tifa said with nonchalance. Sephiroth knew though, that she was going to find Cloud.

He walked over to the bed and sat down, trying to ignore Aerith's gaze. He was hesitant, to believe, that this was the Planet.

"Do not... Be afraid to believe, child. I can hear your thoughts you know. That White Materia came in handy... I knew it would. One day." The Planet said, speaking more clearly now.

Sephiroth looked up warily.

"Why do you take her body in such a way? Can't you just tell her? And why do you hurt her? She never does anything but listen to you. And what is going on! Where is Yuffie, Vincent, Re--"

"Please." A soft voice cut in."I can not tell you... Things of such. Few questions I can answer. Her head... It is not me. It is something... someone else. Her body will come in handy. I will need to speak... Frequently. Being a Cetra... She will be of great use."

Sephiroth felt a burst of something he hadn't felt for a while. Anger.

"So you're simply _using_ her? Like before?" Sephiroth spit.

Aerith shook her head.

"I... You don't understand, child. There is much to speak of but her..." She sighed before her head shot up again.

"I must go. There is trouble brewing."

"Wait!" Sephiroth cried out in... desperation? He was so tired of this. He was so tired of everything and he was beginning to wish he'd never promised Aerith anything.

The Planet didn't give him much time, though, as Aerith's eyes reverted back to their normal color and she fell forward. Sephiroth caught her and a whiff of her hair scent was caught by him. He looked down at her, sleeping so peacefully. She truly looked angelic. Instead of laying her down, he sat there for many minutes, maybe hours, he wasn't sure, just holding her. He wanted her to wake up. He needed her here. What was he supposed to do? Who was supposed to amuse him with her silly antics? He was tired of her fainting spells.

Berating himself for these thoughts never came to him. He sat there, not caring if someone were to walk in, because his soul was at peace in those few moments.

* * *

"Cloud...?" Tifa asked timidly, opening the door to his room just slightly.

She saw Cloud jump, startled, and turn to face her.

Tifa felt a little guilty at what she'd said earlier. She knew that, as always, she would be apologizing. Although why, she would never know. Cloud needed to know some things though. He still didn't know about what had happened with Barret and Reno. As their leader, she supposed she should tell him. Since nobody else would.

"I, um... I'm sorry."

Cloud shook his head. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing at all. _I_ am sorry. This was my fault. I shouldn't have said what I did. I was wrong. I'm sorry."

Tifa was a bit taken aback. She hadn't seen that coming.

"There's something you should know."

Cloud looked up, cocking his head.

"The Turks are gone."

Cloud started violently. "Gone? What do you mean, gone? Kidnap gone or...?"

Tifa shook her head and walked into the room completely, shutting the door.

"They left. Barret and Reno got into a fight. Aerith is unconscious now. She witnessed everything and fainted. Cloud, we're falling apart! We need the Turks, we need Yuffie and Vincent. We need Red, we need to _DO_ something!" Tifa noted the hysteria in her voice.

Cloud shook his head and rubbed his face.

"This is unreal..."

"Cloud, please, have a meeting. We need to figure something out, we need to do something! I think Aerith knows something too. Something she has only told Sephiroth. We need to get them to tell us."

"How is Aerith?" Cloud asked. Tifa felt her heart fall to her stomach.

"She's alright, I guess. Sephiroth said that... She won't awaken for a few days though."

"A few days?" Cloud looked up, surprised. "Why a few days? We need her! She's the only one who knows what's going on!"

Tifa shook her head. "What of Sephiroth?"

Cloud looked guilty for a second, but he pushed it away. "I know, I know."

"Look Cloud. I'm sorry about what I said earlier. He took your mother from you. The only one who ever cared when you were a child. I get that." She paused. "He is back from the dead, true. He did alot of things he would not normally be commended for, true. But the Planet gave him a second chance, Aerith did. We need to take advantage of that. Not only is he a great asset to our team in the fighting sense but... He can be a loyal friend, as much as you may dislike it."

Cloud looked up at her. Her eyes swam with emotion. "I know." He walked over to her and put his arms around her, pulling her into a crushing embrace. He needed this. He needed her.

* * *


	15. Tension Part 2

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 14 - Tension Prt. 2_

Diclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Yuffie and Vincent had traveled for one whole day. No stops, no resting, no nothing. Yuffie was officially tired. The scenery was enough to drive her crazy as it all looked the same. The weather hadn't been too forgivable either. Since the moment she and Vincent had started walking, it had been raining. Soaked to the bone and annoyed beyond words, Yuffie stopped just in front of Vincent. Unprepared for such a sudden stop, Vincent managed to throw Yuffie off her feet and onto the ground.

"That's _IT_!" Yuffie screeched, clothes now not only wet but muddy. Vincent found himself taking a wary step backwards. Yuffie's mood had deteriorated far too much to be normal.

"Yuffie..." Vincent tried, but to no avail.

"$$&( &&((!" Yuffie spewed forth every swear word Cid had ever managed to mutter and Vincent shook his head. Cid wasn't really the greatest role model, it seemed. And to think he had a child on the way!

"Yuffie." He said a little firmer this time but again, he gained no response other then to have Yuffie start gnawing on his leg.

He stood there with wide eyes, trying to comprehend everything.

"Yuffie!" Vincent said, shrugging her off his leg. She looked up at him, tears brimming her eyes.

"I'm so tired and hungry and wet and covered in mud and --"

"Yuffie," Vincent began, hand covering her mouth. "If you would kindly look in front of you."

Yuffie turned her head and to her extreme liking, there sat the Sierra. What luck she had! Truly, Leviathan was finally taking pity on her. Hey, wait a second...

Yuffie looked up only to have a hard, miniscule white ball fall right into her eye. She brushed angrily at her eyes as more pelted her entire body. Standing up quickly, she ran as fast as she could towards the Sierra. Knowing her 'great' luck, the Sierra would take off any moment and she and Vincent would be left to stand here and mope.

She slowed to a walk when the unusual and unexpected bout of hail passed and she'd made it a safe distance near the airship. She stopped and turned to face Vincent, who was walking slowly behind her. Obviously, he knew that airship couldn't possibly fly in such conditions -- even if the greatest pilot was steering.

"Damn Vinnie, never thought I'd want on this bucket of bolts so bad." Yuffie said, waving her hand in the air and jumping.

"Yes, Yuffie." Vincent said, looking rather exasperated. With her or the bad weather, their luck or the fact that he was about to be surrounded by crazed people who were going to ask millions of questions, Yuffie couldn't decipher.

"Don't look so down, Vinnie! It's dry in there! Dry and warm!" Yuffie chirped, flashing him a grin.

When Vincent was slightly closer to both Yuffie and the airship, she began to walk again. Eventually, Vincent caught up with her and they were walking together at an amazing pace, both wanting to reach the shelter of the 'beloved' machinery.

Yuffie was the first to reach the ramp of the Sierra and she ran excitedly to the door. She tried to open the door but found the mud on her hands seemed to complicate things. She stomped her foot and waited for Vincent to get over here.

"Any day now, monster man!" Yuffie chided, stomping her foot once more for some kind of emphasis.

Vincent let out a sigh and walked up the ramp and over to her. He too tried to open the door, but found that it wouldn't budge. Except it was for an entirely different reason then that of which Yuffie experienced. The door was locked. He groaned slightly at the prospect of enlightening Yuffie and finding some way to get inside.

"What's wrong, damn it? Open the door!"

"Yuffie, the door is locked." Vincent said, looking over at her carefully. He really was afraid of her, for once in his life. She really did look like she would explode any second now.

"Can't you fly or something." A flood of relief flew through Vincent at how calm her voice sounded, though he wasn't entirely sure about what she was getting at now. "I mean, we could get on deck then and like, everyone could be all happy and stuff."

"Yuffie? What's wrong?" Vincent asked, noting how put out she sounded.

"We have really bad luck, Vin Vin. I think all that moping around you do is starting to wear off on me and if I'm not happy, nobody's happy and if nobody's happy, everyone's luck goes BOOM and dies." Yuffie said half-heartedly.

Vincent walked down the ramp and looked at the distance between the ground and the railing. He could surely make it but he wasn't sure if Yuffie's added weight would cause him to fall just short of making it over the edge. It was worth a shot though. They had to get inside somehow and this was currently the only way they could think of.

"Yuffie, come here." Vincent sounded, trying to find some kind of leverage to made the distance completely jumpable.

"Can you do it, can you do it?" Yuffie's cheerful voice caused Vincent to falter. And if he couldn't? What if he didn't make it? If anything, this just motivated him even more to make the jump a successful one.

"I think so." Vincent nodded.

"You think so? Ah well, better then nothin!" Yuffie jumped around excitedly, pumping her fists into the air.

Vincent motioned for her to come over to him and she did so without complaint. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Tuck your head in. We're going to flip over the edge." He said. He felt Yuffie nod and he jumped, confused at feeling an extra force propel him farther at the last moment. When Yuffie thought he would smash right into the railing, he performed an impressive flip, managing to manoeuver their weight to land successfully on the deck, crouching on their feet. Yuffie inwardly soared with joy.

"Are you alright?" Vincent's deep voice cut through the silence.

Yuffie murmured her assent and accepted his offered hand, feeling herself being pulled up.

"Ah, let's go! Warm, dry, happy!" Yuffie danced over to the stairs that lead to their freedom. Vincent couldn't stop the small smile that managed to find it's way onto his face; she was so carefree and happy. At the moment, he could say he was rather happy as well.

-Finally... Some peace...-

'Quiet, heathen. This concerns you not.'

-Mmph...-

Vincent walked over and through the now open door that Yuffie had pranced through. If Vincent knew his friends like he thought he did, they were in for one hell of a ride.

* * *

"You know, $$&& machinery like this shouldn't $&$ be on this $$&$ ship! $&$!" Cid swore mercilessly, kicking the entirety of the radar. It had stopped working after Cait had jumped on top of it, pressing buttons that even Cid had never tried out before.

"#$&# cat, I'll #$& kill ya!" Cid yelled, turning to chase after the tiny animal when he caught sight of two people standing in the doorway.

"Hey old fart!" Yuffie squeaked gleefully, running up to Cid and catching him in a fierce hug.

Cid stood there gaping first at Yuffie and then Vincent. They were absolutely filthy, covered in mud and it looked like they'd been travelling in the rain for days. There were black circles underneath Yuffie's eyes and Cid instantly felt a small knot a worry form in his stomach.

"$&$ brat! You're soaking me to the && bone!" Cid said, not really annoyed but relieved to see the both of them. He returned the hug before pushing her away, hands on her shoulders and looking intently at her eyes. "What the &$ happened to you guys? $$!"

When Yuffie didn't answer, Cid looked to Vincent. Vincent sighed and walked over to where Cid and Yuffie stood.

"I believe Yuffie and I should get ourselves showered and decent. We'll meet you in the meeting room? I'm sure there's much to discuss, both ways." Vincent said. Cid nodded his affirmation and ruffled Yuffie's hair.

"Hey..." Yuffie began.

"Yuffie. Let's go."

Yuffie looked over at Vincent and frowned. "Always ruining my fun, Vinnie."

Cait suddenly walked into the room but stopped at seeing the two muddy figures standing with Cid.

"Yuffie! You're back!" Cait said, jumping up and down. He then proceeded to run out of the room, more then likely to tell everyone about the return of their very missed friends. "Yuffie's back, Yuffie's back, Yuffie is back!" They heard.

Cid laughed and cautioned them; everyone had been so tense and worried about them.

"Run and hurry. The whole crew should be out here any moment."

* * *

"So they look alright? Yuffie seems fine? Like her usual self? And what about --"

"Yo, Tif, stop with the $&$ questions!" Cid said. Her glare silenced any further words to come out of Cid's mouth.

"Everyone just calm down." Cloud's voice sounded as he walked into the room. Everyone was there, save for Red, the Turks and Aerith and Sephiroth. Barret was there, Cloud noticed, but he sat away from the group rather then being the source of the major noise.

"Where's Aerith and Sephiroth?" Cloud asked.

Everyone went silence and glanced around the table. Nobody really knew what they were doing. Nobody had seen Sephiroth since the night before, nor did they know how Aerith was doing.

"I'll go check. They both need to be here and hear this. Aerith needs to tell us a few things, too." Tifa said, standing up.

"I'll come!" Cait said. "There guys are boring anyways." Snickering, he left the room before Tifa. Tifa sent them a look and left, leaving everyone in silence.

"Well..."

* * *

When Tifa walked into Aerith's room, she was shocked at what she saw. She quickly shut the door and locked it, knowing that Cait Sith couldn't very well reach the handle. She walked across the room to peer over Aerith, who was laying on her side. Sephiroth slept there, looking at peace for once, his hand encircled by and encircling Aerith's. Tifa would have squealed in delight had she known Sephiroth wouldn't wake up, but she knew better then that.

She tiptoed around the side of the bed and stood behind Sephiroth.

"Sephiroth...?" Tifa whispered.

Sephiroth stirred only slightly before he feel back into the sea of dreams. Tifa frowned and poked him. "Sephiroth!" A frown was found on his face as he turned over to face Tifa.

"If you are someone other then Aerith and --"

"It's me Sephiroth! Tifa! My goodness." Tifa sighed. "It never used to be this hard to wake you." Tifa said, remembering the days at Nibelheim. They had been up bright and early to traverse into and up those mountains.

"Hey! Hey, Tifa! Lemme in!" Cait's muffled voice came through the door and into the room, followed by several knocks.

"Who's that?" Sephiroth asked Tifa.

Tifa sighed and shook her head. "Cait..." Sephiroth nodded in understanding before sending her a questioning glance.

"What?"

"Why are you here again?"

"Oh."

"Yes, oh."

"Stop it. I'm here because Yuffie and Vincent are back." Tifa nodded at his surprised look. "You need to come to the meeting room now -- we're going to discuss everything. And I do mean everything Sephiroth. You need to tell us what you and Aerith know."

Tifa looked over at the aforementioned, her hand still grasping Sephiroth's.

"How is she?" Tifa queried, walking over to crouch bythe sleeping form'shead on the other side of the bed. She brushed a few stray strands of hairout of her face before standing again.

"I wouldn't know. I've been asleep." Sephiroth said, looking rather uncomfortable.

"Remember, Sephiroth. Tell us _everything_."

* * *

Sephiroth and Tifa had entered the room together, splitting up once they met the table. Tifa went to take her seat beside Cloud while Sephiroth went off to the farther side of the room where he could find a single chair. He felt much more comfortable being here with Aerith -- but for now, he would have to settle for being alone; alone and on the other side of the room.

Not long after, both Vincent and Yuffie walked into the room. Yuffie looked a little apprehensive but other then that, Avalanche was relieved to see their friends in top condition. Cloud, for one, felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He'd been so worried! It had been his fault, after all. He should've thought everything over before actual initiation. He sighed and slouched in his seat.

Tifa was of course, relieved beyond words. Maternal instincts kicked in andshe ran up to Yuffie and Vincent, checking for injuries and making sure they were completely fine.

Barret seemed a little disinterested, though anyone who knew him could tell that he was silently very happy. This was a great turn of events. They now had only one more member of the team to worry about, save for Aerith. This, to Barret, was the best thing that could have happened.

Cid and Cait had already seen them but both were anxiously awaiting the explanation and revealing of everything that had happened. Sephiroth of course, was made to look disinterested.

"Yuffie, oh goodness, you're alright!" Tifa smiled and started squeezing the air out of Yuffie with a gigantic hug, soon after moving onto the awkward Vincent. Yuffie laughed at how uncomfortable he looked before going over to Sephiroth.

"Hey, Sephiroth..." Yuffie knew he could be trusted. Hell, he and Aerith were proof enough that he'd changed for the better. Still... It was kind of wierd to be hanging around the man who had killed her people... Her mother. She knew she couldn't really blame him but... The anger still surged from time to time.

Sephiroth nodded to indicate he was listening.

'Woah... Talk about a Vincent moment.' Yuffie thought.

"Where's Aerith?" Yuffie chirped, sitting down on the floor beside him. Something inside her was telling her something was wrong but she refused to acknowledge it until Sephiroth said something.

"She's... asleep. In her room." Sephiroth said, looking over at the teenager. He was, to say the least, most uncomfortable around Yuffie. Aerith had told him many stories of her frequent mood swings and stealing escapades. Not that he wouldn't be able to catch her, by god he would. But... An emotional teenager was not his idea of 'fun', as Aerith seemed to call their time together.

"Why? Shouldn't she be here, it is a meeting, you know?"

_**"She asks questions like this and that. Pointless most of the time, but she really means no harm. And she really is interested. She hates to be ignored too!" Aerith laughed, telling Sephiroth of her friends. They had talked about all of them except for Yuffie.**_

_**"Sounds like Godo really isn't made to be a father." Sephiroth smirked.**_

_**"She really does mean no harm, Sephiroth. She tries, so hard, to fit in with us adults." Aerith said. "I think you can relate in some way, right? I mean... You try and fit in too, don't you?"**_

Aerith's ability to depict his feelings and thoughts, everything, truly amazed him.

"No, Yuffie. Something happened. But I'm goingtotalk about that with everyone at the _same_ time." Sephiroth answered.

Yuffie stood there in shock. Even she acknowledged what she was like but how did Sephiroth know that she had a thing for knowing ideas and plans and stuff before everyone else? _Aerith_. Damn.

"Oh well! We'll just have to start the meeting then, right!" Yuffie jumped up and skipped over to Cloud.

"CLOUD. Start the meeting!" Yuffie screamed in a sing-song voice right into his ear. He swatted her away and sent her an annoyed glance which Yuffie promptly returned with a rude gesture.

"Damn it, Yuffie! $$! Don't do that!" Cid said, hitting her head lightly. Yuffie scowled and went to sit down.

"If I may ask, where is Red?" Vincent asked. Everyone in the room went silent and Yuffie looked around to make sure Vincent wasn't just losing his ultimate eyesight. She frowned when she couldn't find him.

"Hey, yeah. Where is he? And Aerith, too! What's wrong with her?"

Cloud cleared his throat. "Yuffie, Vincent. Red is gone. He was bitten by a fiend the day we all set out for two weeks, or were supposed to anyways. He was unconscious for a day or two and then he tried to attack both Tifa and Aerith." Yuffie gawked at Tifa, a silent plea for a shake of her pretty brown head. Unfortunately, she nodded in confirmation. "He jumped off the airship."

"WHAT?" Yuffie squealed, jumping up. "It would have killed him! The fall alone would have killed him!"

Cloud shook his head. "We searched for him, all we found were paw prints. Red's paw prints, Yuffie."

"So he's still alive, then?" Vincent asked.

"As far as we know." Cid nodded.

"Oh my gawd." Yuffie groaned, falling backwards into her chair. A few of her teammates started, thinking she'd fall over completely, taking the chair down with her, but nothing of the sort happened.

"What's up with Aerith then?" Yuffie asked.

"Well... You'll have to ask Sephiroth yourself. He happens to know a few things we don't." Cloud said, glaring at Sephiroth for a fraction of a second. Sephiroth sent him a pointed look and Tifa stared daggers at the both of them.

"Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth looked over at Vincent for a moment before speaking.

"This all begins that day we had the meeting here and Aerith looked pale. Tifa said something about it, as I recall." Everyone nodded their understanding. They were with him so far. "She lied when she said nothing was wrong. Her head felt like it was going to explode, I believe she told me one day. Either way, she told me that she had something important to say." Sephiroth hesitated for a moment, not wanting to say anything. There was already enough havoc around here. He knew, though, it couldn't exactly be avoided and they would maybe have a better chance at causing it to not happen.

"One of us isn't going to make it out of this alive." Sephiroth saw the shocked look and everyone's faces.

"Someone unexpected or someone familiar?" Cloud asked after hearing what Aerith had told Sephiroth.

"That is what I believe I said, Strife." Sephiroth said, taunting him. Cloud obviously, had risen to his leader role respectivly and chose not to say anything although a twitch of the eye was painfully noticable.

Everyone was silent for a long time. Yuffie ended up breaking the silence after a few minutes. A few minutes of silence was simply too much for the young girl to take.

"So... Not Sephiroth, Cloud or Tif. It could be any one of us, then." Yuffie said, suddenly a little frightened.

"But, the question is then. Someone who has already died or someone who is familiar to... what? The concept of death?" Vincent said, his velvety voice calming Yuffie somewhat. He always seemed to have that affect on her.

"I do not know, though I asked her the same question. She said that depending on our actions, our choices, the person would change."

"Wait a second." Tifa interrupted, panic seeping through her voice. "It could be Aerith then! What if what she's experiencing is a sign or something?"

"No. It isn't." Sephiroth said.

"How do you know? What else has been going on?" Barret finally spoke up. True he was not a fan of Sephiroth's but he was willing to put it aside; for Aerith's sake.

"That same night she told me, she asked me, if we could go to the Ancient City. She needed the White Materia." Sephiroth paused, thinking about what to say. "When we got there, her head had started to hurt even more, actually. Either way, we got the White Materia but at first she was scared to touch it."

"What happened?" Tifa asked.

"She touched it and it entered her body, her stomach, where the... er... wound had been. It's gone now." Sephiroth said, feeling slightly sickened talking about the flesh wound he had inflicted upon her.

"It... it entered her stomach... but why?" Yuffie said, a little disgusted by this.

"The Planet is using it to speak through her. The Planet first spoke through her last night. I believe that is why Aerith is so tired and she fainted. It takes a lot out of her."

Everyone digested everything that had been revealed so far. Yuffie and Vincent were at a total loss, not having known about both Red and Aerith. However, Sephiroth had known everything and everyone else had known only about Nanaki. This was obviously a big issue between everyone that they needed to overcome.

There couldn't be anymore secrets. Not anymore.

"No more, you guys. No more secrets." Yuffie whispered. Everyone looked at her, confused, for a moment. "We can't have anymore secrets flying around! We all need to know _everything_ that is going on! We're better off if we work as a team. Even I know that, a seventeen year old!" Yuffie's face contorted to that of anger. "Damn it, you all say I'm young and immature! Yet I'm telling you this." Everyone, Cloud and Cid especially, were indeed surprised at how mature she sounded.

"She's right." Sephiroth said.

Everyone nodded their acknowledgement.

"So, what else do we uh, need to know?" Yuffie asked.

"Barret and Reno got into a fight." Cloud offered.

"Are you serious? Who won, who won?" Yuffie chanted.

Everyone looked at her. So much for mature. Yuffie turned slightly red and sat down. "Er... Not a good thing? Actually... Now that you mention it, that bubbly blonde isn't here..." Yuffie said, and the only 'bubbly' blonde they knew -- well, kind of -- was Elena.

"Yes, well. Reno felt it best he $$ run after Barret tried to $&#$ behead him." Cid said, taking an intake of cigarette smoke.

"Cid..." Tifa scolded.

"It's true, though!"

"Look. Nobody really blames Barret." Tifa said, glaring at Cid. "We were and are all stressed and tense. Things were a little out of order. We can't blame him. I say we put this all behind us." Tifa said.

Everyone nodded their affirmation.

* * *

Aerith awoke from a frightening dream with a start. She hid her face in her hands for a moment and found her forehead to be covered in sweat. He hair was mussed, she knew, but it didn't matter. She needed to find him. Them. They needed to know, they needed to move.

She stood and felt like she would collapse. Her body was so weak. The Planet was taking a toll on her body. So weak...

_So weak..._

"Get out of my head!" Aerith screamed.

Aerith put a hand to her head and tears started to fall freely, her head pounding. She had to find them...

Before it was too late.

* * *

"So. What do you think we should do next Sephiroth?" Tifa asked, sitting in front of him, Vincent and Yuffie on their left. Cloud and Cid could be found on the other side of the room, talking quietly. Barret was entertaining Cait. His mood had lightened considerably when everyone had said they would put the whole incident regarding Reno behind them.

"I am unsure." Sephiroth answered. Truth be told, 85 percent of that statement was true. He honestly didn't know.

"Hmm... You know, Tif, Vincent... I want your hair." Yuffie said, flicking a strand of Tifa's hair and a strand of Vincent's hair together.

"We know, Yuffie..." Tifa and Vincent answered together. Yuffie's eyes widened and Sephiroth smirked. How comical...

"Well..." Tifa said, recovering fromthe fit of giggles Yuffie had just put her into, "I think we should wait until Aerith wakes up, really. She has the Planet with her and... We need some answers about these Mako fiends."

"HEY! Vinnie, we forgot to tell them about the Mako pool!" Yuffie said. Vincent wasn't listening though, rather, he looked to be on alert. "Vinnie...?" Yuffie looked over at Sephiroth to find him getting up from his chair.

"Hey, what's going on?" Yuffie said, loud enough for everyone to hear. Cid and Cloud looked over at Sephiroth and Vincent, confused. Barret just listened.

"Was that... Aerith, Sephiroth?" Vincent asked him, looking at the silver haired warrior's face intently. Another sound caught Vincent's ears though and he stood quickly, following Sephiroth out the now open door. He motioned for everyone to follow.

* * *

Aerith sat on the floor clutching her head.

_You'll never get there in time... It will be too late... He'll die... It'll be your fault..._

Aerith screamed and shook her head. She bit her lip, tasting her blood after a few minutes. It was all in vain. Why did she even get up? The pain was worse now... She'd never make it.

She heard footsteps coming closer... And voices. She dearly hoped her friends were coming in her direction.

Her hopes were confirmed, granted, when she heard Sephiroth's voice. She felt him take hold of her arms. Her vision swam in front of her for a minute before she could focus properly. When she looked up she saw Sephiroth kneeling on the ground beside her, concern etched clearly on his handsome features. Yuffie and Vincent stood behind him, Tifa was kneeling beside him. Everyone was there.

Aerith lifted her hand to his cheek and let it come down to his arm. "Sephiroth... He... We... He's in trouble..." Aerith whispered, clutching desperately to him. She flinched when a major wave of pain assaulted her senses. Sephiroth squeezed her arms and she looked at him.

"Who, Aerith? And what's wrong?" He spoke so calmly... so soothingly...

Aerith moved forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, burrowing her face into the crook of his neck. He stiffened for a moment before relaxing into the embrace, not caring about anyone around him. Around them.

"He... He'll die if we don't hurry. The Turks... They're in trouble..."

* * *


	16. Cautious

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 16 - Cautious_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Sephiroth had carried Aerith to her room and managed to calm her down enough to get her to talk. The Turks were in trouble, that much was clear. All Aerith could tell Sephiroth without getting upset again was that someone was after all of them. Avalanche, herself and Sephiroth and the Turks were targets. It seemed their focus was the Turks at the moment. They were on their own.

* * *

"Aerith. How are you feeling?" Tifa pushed the door open completely, revealing herself and Yuffie. Aerith watched them through troubled eyes, Yuffie hanging back for only a second to shut the door before running and jumping on Aerith's bed.

"I'm feeling a lot better, actually." Aerith answered honestly. She did. After her long sleep and after she had calmed down from her delirium, she felt calm and strangely relieved. "I'm so sorry." Aerith said quietly, looking down. "I've been such a burden lately. I think that is over for now, though."

"Nobody blames you, Aeri." Yuffie scolded her mockingly, bringing her famous Avalanche nicknames into the setting. "Minor setback, that's all."

Aerith smiled. "What happened to you and Vincent? I heard you all had a meeting without me!" Aerith giggled.

Yuffie grinned. "Oh, without you? You were resting your lazy self on this very bed."

Tifa watched them, smiling. She was glad the three of them were so close.

"Nonetheless..." Aerith said, glancing at both of them in turn, "I believe we should get going, ne? The others must be waiting by now." Aerith said.

Tifa and Yuffie exchanged uncertain glances, but nodded and followed her out the door.

* * *

All the men were in the meeting room; a deafening silence stretching between them. Concern for Aerith and lack of ideas regarding their next move was the main source of the silence. Most, if not all, of the Avalanche members were surprised with the way Sephiroth had acted towards the flower girl earlier. They'd looked like... long lost lovers, or something along those lines.

Minds were racing as to what it could mean; while others were contemplating how they'd gotten themselves into such a mess.

"This is screwed up, man." Barret stated, moving from his spot in the corner.

Few looked towards the black skinned man before continuing on with their train of thought. Until the girls walked into the room, nobody looked up from the floor.

Sephiroth immediately narrowed his eyes. "No."

Aerith's eyes found their way to his, somehow knowing that what he's said was directed at her. "I didn't even say anything! It doesn't matter what you say anyway, I can go if I want." Stubborn and determined, Aerith forced a glare onto her face.

Such a turn of events caused everyone to sweat drop.

"While you are free to _believe_ what you wish, I am supposed to be guarding you, am I not? It would be poor judgement on my part to let you off of this ship." Sephiroth snapped. His patience was wearing thin. All they ever seemed to do was stand around on the airship, discussing possibilities that were only thrown out of existence the next second.

"Guardian or no--"

"No."

"Sephi--"

"No."

Aerith glared and looked to everyone else.

"I believe Aerith has her own reasons for wanting to come. It is ultimately her decision." Vincent said, ignoring the glare he recieved from the silver haired warrior.

Aerith sent Sephiroth a smug smile before dragging Tifa across the airship over to where Cloud stood.

* * *

"Cloud, we need to go. Now." Aerith's voice broke through Cloud's reverie, bringing him back to Gaia. Being the leader of the only resistence group capable of doing anything was tiring, he realized, he was depended upon and decisions were ultimately left up to him. He wouldn't trade it for the world, he knew, but a break would definitely be in order.

"I know, Aerith." Cloud sighed, dragging a hand through his chocobo-yellow mane.

Aerith watched him for a second before looking to Tifa. Tifa gave her a questioning, almost pleading look, but Aerith pushed her forward slightly and nodded, smiling.

"Um... Cloud?" Tifa started.

Cloud's eyes snapped up to her face. "Yea? What is it Tif?"

"I uh... Kind of um..." Tifa stuttered, not totally sure she should be doing this.

"Tifa has a strategy of sorts. She thinks you might want to hear it. As do I, of course." Aerith cut in.

Cloud looked surprised for a second before quickly replacing it with a serious look. "Do you, Tif?"

Tifa nodded, uncomfortable.

"Go on, tell him. I'm going to go see Yuffie and Vincent." Aerith said quickly, snickering at her friend's obvious discomfort. A part of her felt bad, but another part decided that they needed some sort of a 'push' in the right direction. The both of them either still hadn't realized they were made for each other or they were both unsure of the others feelings. Aerith decided the latter was the better option and skipped over to the side of the ship, where Yuffie and Vincent were having an intense conversation.

* * *

Sephiroth watched the now back to normal Cetra skip across the airship. He had figured that she was keeping something from not only Avalanche, but himself. Conflicting emotions were flipping through his head, rationality overpowering all else.

Aerith was staying here. He'd make sure of it. Something told him that she needed to stay, that if she didn't, something bad would happen. To her; to everyone. Of course, she, being the stubborn woman that she was, would fight to the end.

Avalanche was also no help. The man, Valentine, had only managed to fuel her already determined self.

'Stupid friends she has. She could be killed.'

Sephiroth relayed different emotions and thoughts in his mind, trying to find the best way to deal with such a situation. He knew she was feeling much better and, naturally, after being out of commission for so long, missing meetings and the like, she would want to do something productive with herself.

Sephiroth didn't really want to deprive his energetic, pink clad companion of such... well, whatever they were, but her welfare was top priority on his list.

'I wonder why?' Sephiroth thought. He was so confused; confused about his emotions, his thoughts, everything. He didn't know why, but there was just this thing about Aerith; he knew, deep down, that she understood his pain. She could relate to him when nobody else could.

The emotions were so unfamiliar to him and he was determined not to let them show, but Aerith always managed to break through it and he slipped. Whenever she was close, talking to him... He felt at peace.

Something he hadn't felt for a long time.

* * *

Shera...

The swearing blonde man actually missed the woman he had treated so badly but ended up falling for. Her light little laugh and her constant babbling to him about some of the stupidest things he'd ever talked about...

He wondered how she was doing? Was she feeling okay? What about the baby? Baby? What did he know about children? Sure, he treated Yuffie as his own daughter for the fact that she'd never really had much of a father and he was more or less an uncle to Marlene but he'd never had to take care of them.

They cried alot didn't they... Stinky diapers, bottles strewn about and he'd have no time for his plane. His ship! His _rocket_.

'But she wanted it...'

Yes, she had wanted the child. He supposed that on some level, he had too. A little 'Cid and Shera' as Yuffie so eloquently put it, was something he would have wanted for a long time, had he actually pulled his thoughts and concerns away from his beloved machinery.

'And if you don't come back...?'

Cid grimaced at the thought. Leave Shera and his child alone in this big world? No way in hell. He knew that Avalanche would _always, always, always_ be there for her if something happened to him. Always.

"Nope, I'm coming back alive!" Cid said aloud, cigarette dropping from his mouth. "$&$!"

* * *

"We're going to be _fine, dammit_!" Yuffie whisper-screamed at Vincent. Vincent showed no sign or relenting to whatever it was that he and Yuffie were talking about.

"Yuffie, this could be..."

"Dangerous? Are you joking me? The Mako Pools can't really be that horrific." Yuffie argued, undeterred.

Vincent fixed her with 'the look' which only angered Yuffie further.

"Unbelievable!" Yuffie screamed, stalking off to her room.

* * *

Aerith watched Yuffie retreat to her room. Whatever she and Vincent had been fighting over, it was sure to have been important. Or at least something she wanted badly. Yuffie never stalked off to her room.

"Vincent?" Aerith asked.

Vincent turned to Aerith, nodding at her.

"What was that about?" Aerith asked, not wanting or meaning to pry.

Vincent sighed and shook his head. "Yuffie is simply refusing to see my side of the argument."

"About what?" Aerith pried further, green eyes peering into Vincent's intently. She saw so many mixed emotions there; sadness, grief, anger... happiness?

"I do not wish her to come with us. Great danger is upon us." Vincent gave her a sideways glance. "Surely you'd know?"

Aerith felt the heat rise into her face before sputtering. "I, uh... Well, um..."

Vincent chuckled slightly. "It is of no consequence. We trust you. I know -- we know -- you would never put us in harm intentionally. I'm sure you have your reasons and you will tell us soon enough."

Aerith went to reason with the dark man, but a loud and booming voice managed to shout over the intercom:

"Alright you bunch a $&$ $$ get your #$&$ asses off the & ship. I found the $&$ Turks."

* * *


	17. Decisions

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 17 - Decisions_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

It took a lot of convincing for Sephiroth to finally agree to let Aerith go, but how it all boiled down to his word was beyond Cloud. Petty matters like this, he decided, were not on his list of things to think about though. Nobody had time for it. Everyone was also beginning to see that Aerith was becoming increasingly worried about their new comrades --their new friends -- and that sent a steadywave of uneasiness to course through the rest of them. Aerith had always acted on instinct and her strong beliefs; she'd never done them wrong before. Why would she stop now?

They had descended the ramp, Aerith and Sephiroth leading the way, and they were headed for the three figuresthat were still unaware of Avalanche's presence.

Aerith abruptly shot forward causing a few of her friends to start after her before they saw her throw herself at Elena.

* * *

Dark, damp, filled with disgusting bugs...

Elena couldn't take much more. It was unnerving enough that it was so dark out. Even though the large forest was shrouded in semi darkness with the amount of trees, it had been getting lighter and lighter due to the weather change. Besides, she always felt like something was just crawling on her leg...

'No,' Elena shivered. 'Bad thoughts, bad thoughts... Reno and Rude are here... Nothing will happen...'

But her mantras weren't helping very much. She still had this feeling like something was going to happen. Why were they in this forest anyways? What had happened to Reno? Barret's sudden attack on her friend couldn't have been that bad. He was, after all, inclined to go to a bar almost everyday, so why choose to walk through a forest to get there? Were they even going to a bar anyway?

'Ugh... Disgusting...'

A small rabbit was lying on the side of the trail, flies and other things she didn't wish to name were surrounding it, picking at it, eating away at it's flesh...

'This is horrible...' Elena thought, only she didn't just think it, she said it aloud.

"What? Can't take a little gore, babe?" Reno asked, tilting his head ahead of her. Elena knew he was smirking even though he hadn't turned around to look at her. Sometimes she just wanted to...

"EEP!"

* * *

Reno knew they had walked quite a ways without taking any sort of break, but Elena's constant whimpering was getting on his nerves. But then she usually did that anyway, whining or not. Of course, hewasusually the one who inspired such a thing.

'Why are we here anyway? Man, that guy seriously needs some help... Why did we leave? They needed our help.' Reno scowled. 'And get myself killed in the process? I don't think so...' Reno glanced over at Elena. 'She wanted to stay though...'

Rude had been unusually quiet he noticed. Usually the two goofed off, sharing insults, talking about the 'babes', although, that was more of a Reno topic.

"This is horrible..." Elena drawled somewhat lazily and very quietly. He knew she was serious. She hated anything to do with insects.

Reno simply couldn't resist. He'd seen the rabbit on the side of the trail as Elena must have, and he knew she had a thing for the little animals.

"What? Can't take a little gore, babe?" Reno said, smirking. Elena immediately shut up, but he knew she was either glaring daggers at his back or was trying to come up with a plan to make him feel any sort of pain.

They had only walked a little further when he heard Elena shriek from behind him. He unhooked his weapon and whirled around, a comical look on his face.

"AARGH! Where's the spider! Or is it a butterfly?" Reno yelled. Then he saw arms encircling Elena's waist. Rather small arms...

He walked up to Elena and looked over her shoulder; whoever it was was short.

"Why, Sweet, you gotta be a little less discreet about these things. Heh, definitely a butterfly."

Aerith seemed to ignore his nickname for her and his overly lame line, disappointing him to no end. He turned away and walked over to Rude, sulking. He realized he'd been doing that a lot lately.

'Oh no.'

* * *

Yuffie looked visibly relieved when they'd caught up to Aerith and the Turks. Was it a fluke that they happened to stumble upon a Mako Pool? Now was the perfect time to tell Avalanche about her and Vincent's encounter with one, but nobody else seemed to notice or care. Aerith and Elena were talking animatedly about things she was sure she didn't want to know about. Sometimes, Yuffie thought Aerith was just a schoolgirl, giggling and gossiping about completely random things.

Of course, Yuffie couldn't keep her mind on that. She had her own problems.

Vincent.

They had fought before they'd gotten to there current spot, even if only a little, and it was buggingher. Sheknew he was just worried. They'd become rather close and Yuffie wanted to keep it that way and keep it moving. She was simply used to being so independent andwith all of the days events fresh in her mind; she'd just needed to vent.

They had, of course, talked on the way to this forest and somehow, she thoughtVincent understood why she'd blown up on him and he'd letit go.

Yuffie glanced over at him. He was standing not too far away, arms crossed, gazing warily; stoic as ever.

'That's what I love about him though.' Yuffie thought.

That conclusion, she'd come to the other night. She loved Vincent Valentine. He'd broken through all those defenses of hers that she'd managed to build around herself and like there was nothing to it, he'd managed to get through.

Vincent looked over at her and she blushed; erasing the thoughts quickly and smiling over to him. She saw a hint of a smile from beneath his cloak before he looked awayand shecouldn't help but feel all giddy inside. Her heart was thumping; he'd always seemed to have that effect onher.

"Oooh, I saw that little ogling match going on there." A voice said from behind her, surprising Yuffie. She turned to see Tifa smirking at her almost devilishly. Yuffie had the decency to blush and ushered Tifa away. How embarrassing, getting caught with her eyes glued to the gunman.

She looked over at Reno and Rude, who stood secluded on the side, doing nothing. Reno winked at her and motioned for her to come over to him. Yuffie scowled and answered with a rather rude gesture before turning and walking away, snickering at the look on his face.

* * *

The group managed to come together to discuss the events of the past few days and, on Avalanche's part, tried to persuade the Turks to come back with them. They weren't safe anymore.

"'Lena, I want you to come back; you and the Turks." Aerith stated.

"Why?" Reno immediately spoke up. "So I can get my face kicked in because of that man's god damn temper?" Reno motioned towards Barret, whose face was facing the ground, unreadable to all.

Aerith sighed. "Come on, Reno... He was... tired. He misses his daughter. Having a daughter and being away from her so much like he is can take its toll. He just wants this to be over with."

"Reno, please. I know Barret better than anyone. That is not how he usually acts." Tifa turned her attention to Barret. "Right, Barret?"

Barret nodded slowly before looking up. "Look, I acted a damn foo', I know. I'm sorry, I had no right ta do that, tired or not." That was the first time for many, to hear Barret speak without the use of a curse word.

Reno looked like he was going to say something nasty, but he surprised everyone by stopping in his tracks. His aqua eyes widened, gaze locked on something behind the group. His mouth opened and closed, opened again and simply hung there for a few moments.

"I uh, think this should be uh... Well, just look behind you." Reno said, for once in his life at a loss for words.

* * *

Cait, who had behaved and stayed quiet for quite a while now was the first to react.

"Oh my goodness! What are we gonna do!" He hopped from foot to foot, waving his arms in the air.

"Well, what the $&$ do ya know." Cid said, readying his spear.

Aerith stood in shock. She knew who stood in front of her.

_So weak..._

_You'll never get there in time... It will be too late... He'll die... It'll be your fault..._

Aerith grimaced at the memory and backed up subconsciously. The man standing in front of her was no ordinary man. Not at all. He himself, was glowing a bright green like the monsters flanking him. His skin was pallid and looked to be pulled right up against his face, making him look almosttransparent. He didn't seem to have fingers, but rather stubs. Aerith felt like vomiting at that very moment but managed to hold her own. He had machinery on many parts of his body replacing various areas of skin. But none of that was very noticeable when you saw his eyes. They seemed to captivate you, draw you in. A sudden cold feeling ran right over Aerith and she found herself breathing rapidly. She tore her gaze away and forced herself to look at the others.

Tifa looked to be in the same state as her, staring wide eyed and breathing hard. Yuffie, Cloud, Barret and Vincent were in their battle stances, ready to attack if the enemy made any sudden movements. Elena looked about ready to cry and was standing between Reno and Rude, clutching their arms. Cait was sitting on top of Cid's shoulder looking rather calm. The same went for Sephiroth.

"You... What are you?" Tifa whispered.

The man gave an insane smile and his eyes filled with amusement.

"My name is Toyori." He laughed immediately after he'd supplied them with the bitof info, almost in hysterics. "Not that you really need to know. You'll all be dead soon. But I suppose that could be your dying wish. To know who killed the 'mighty' Avalanche."

Eyes narrowed and everyone readied themselves for a battle.

"Please, do you really think you can take me on? Especially with these ones helping me out?" He pat one of the fiends' heads and it closed its eyes in what looked to be enjoyment. What power did he have over these things?

"But... I'm only here for two of you. The rest of you can relax, your time has yet to come."Toyori sneered. "You and you." He pointed to Aerith and Rude. "I only hope you and your friends are not foolish enough to fight with me."

Aerith felt something inside her shift.

Sephiroth easily made it to her side faster then the man could see, the rest of Avalanche following suit and shielding both Aerith and Rude slightly. Whoever this man was, he was dangerous.

"Hehe..." Toyori smirked and snickered malevolently. "Have it your way then." He pulled out a double edged blade and watched them all, relatively calm.

_"Iku!"_

The fiends ran straight at the said party, an attempt to stall them and distract them evident. Cloud started to look around at his group. They were scared, some of them. Tifa was tense. Tifa was never tense. Something was wrong.

"Go for Toyori! He must be controlling them." Tifa yelled. Cloud smiled at her in admiration before focusing on the task at hand.

And the battle begun.

It wasn't easy to follow Tifa's advice, the fiend's may have proven _they_ were untouchable,but they could most definitely attack _Avalanche_.

"Stay close." Vincent told Yuffie. They stood back to back in battle stance. "I know. Let's kick some mako fiend butt, Vinnie!" Yuffie realized what she'd said and tried to correct it. "I mean, they can't be hit but, you uh, know what I mean, right?"

Vincent sighed. "Yes Yuffie, but now isn't the time."

Cloud was trying to hit Toyori but got in few hits; the man was fast. Only a huge amount of Mako could have made him so fast. What had happened to the man? He almost matched Sephiroth's speed! He couldn't parry Sephiroth's attacks but he was sure as hell skilled with the weapon of his.

An idea struck him. They needed more then two people on Toyori.

"Tifa, Barret, Reno! Come help us!" Cloud yelled. Sephiroth nodded to him when Cloud glanced his way. Sephiroth wasthe better tactician when it came to battling and as much as Clouddidn't want toadmit it, he needed Sephiroth's help."Rude, Elena, Aerith, Cid, Cait; handle the fiends but..." Cloud glanced wistfully at Aerith. "Don't get caught..."

Toyori smirked at this. Cloud's eyes widened and Sephiroth moved forward quickly.

"As you wish."

Toyori moved faster then they could comprehend and he managed to just dodge Sephiroth. He flew right past Cloud, whipping his blade around and giving Cloud a major cut down the side of his leg, causing Tifa tocure him and losefocus of the battle.He was bleeding heavily and it only seemed to get worse when the curative magic hit it. Vincent grabbed Yuffie around the waist and pulled her back in time to miss getting cut in half. The others concentrating on the fiends were unaware of this turn of events.

Aerith was in deep concentration when Toyori went for her. Her eyes snapped open when he was just about to run into her. She gasped and stepped back.

Toyori flew past her and no visible sign of harm could be seen. At first. A wound in her side opened and blood started pouring.

"Oh my... god!" Aerith breathed, clutching her side. The girls screamed and both Cloud and Cid swore.

Sephiroth was at her side in an instant, inspecting the wound carefully. Toyori turned and ran for her again, oblivious to the fact that Sephiroth, the most feared warrior in the world was there, murder in his eyes. Sephiroth saw this and scooped her up and jumped into a tree. Toyori frowned and stopped.

"Alright. An easier catch first I suppose..." His eyes locked on Rude. He was alone in a clearing, nobody was anywhere near him save for a fiend.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. He ran for Rude and everyone seemed to hold their breath. Nobody but Sephiroth could make it on time and he was currently busy with Aerith. Just when they thought he would just collide with Rude, he flipped a small blade out. Someone screamed andmost of Avalanche shut their eyes.

"No! 'Laney!" Renoshouted.

Avalanche looked quickly, relieved for only a second to see Rude was alright. Sprawled out on the floor, yes, but without a scratch nonetheless. A splash of Mako could be heard from the pool and some caught a glimpse of a blonde head going under.

Tifa gasped and tears started to roll down her eyes. "No... Elena..." She hung her head.

"STOP IT!" They saw Aerith struggling in Sephiroth's grasp. She looked to be delirious but Sephiroth managed to keep her in one spot.

Cid and Reno ran straight for Toyori, spear and mag rod raised to strike. Toyori moved out of the way.

"Well. I suppose she will have to do..." He glanced up at the now slightly calmerAerith. "And don't think I'm done with you, sweetheart. You'd make quite the nice... prize." He never finished the sentence but Avalanche got the meaning and he started to laugh like a sadist at the looks he recieved.

"But I won't leave you without. I know you're all just... itching to see him."

Confused looks crossed everyone's faces until they saw what he meant. Eyes widened and some stepped backwards.

"Have fun! I'll be back for the White Materia, honey."

He vanished without warning and the tired group was left with fiends and someone they hadn't been expecting to see at all.

"No... We can't do this..." Tifa said. She couldn't. They couldn't fight their friend!

Nanaki stood in front of them.

* * *


	18. No More Words

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 18 - No More Words_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like.These words, however, are mine.

* * *

****

**_"Well. I suppose she will have to do..." He glanced up at Aerith. "And don't think I'm done with you, sweetheart. You'd make quite the nice... prize" He never finished the sentence but Avalanche got the meaning and he started to laugh like a sadist at the looks he recieved._**

**_"But I won't leave you without. I know you're all just... itching to see him."_**

**_Confused looks crossed everyone's faces until they saw what he meant. Eyes widened and some stepped backwards._**

**_"Have fun! I'll be back for the White Materia, honey."_**

**_He vanished without warning and the tired group was left with fiends and someone they hadn't been expecting to see at all._**

**_"No... We can't do this..." Tifa said. She couldn't. They couldn't fight their friend!_**

**_Nanaki stood in front of them._**

* * *

"Where did he go?" Reno shouted.

"He... disappeared..." Yuffie said, still on her guard.

Reno cursed and punched a tree.

"Reno, we don't have time for this." Cloud said, watching Nanaki carefully and clutching his leg.

"We don't even know what the hell he's gonna do to her!" Reno shouted again, enraged by the turn of events. "Why the $& does she choose now to be brave?"

Nanaki leaped at Tifa, but she didn't block his attack nor did she put up any kind of fight. She simply stood there and his claws caught her shoulder.

"Tifa! What are you doing?" Cloud yelled.

Tifa turned to face him, tears in her eyes. "You know I can't fight him. I can't..."

Cloud looked up in the tree where Aerith and Sephiroth were. Aerith was leaning against a tree, breathing heavily. Her wound was still bleeding, as was his own. Curative magic wasn't working on it!

"Sephiroth!" Cloud yelled over to him. "Why isn't her wound healing?"

Sephiroth turned his reptilian gaze over to him. "It is healing. It's a rather large wound and she's lost alot of blood."

"How?"

"It's -- it was -- infected with the zombie status." Sephiroth said matter-of-factly. Cloud's face lit up. "Of course!" Sephiroth rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the flower girl.

* * *

Aerith's head was spinning. She felt a pain in her side, but it seemed to be dimming. She knew she was in danger -- but she couldn't remember why. She couldn't remember who. She just couldn't remember.

"What just happened?"

Sephiroth's eyes snapped up to her face. "What?"

Aerith looked confused. What had just happened? How much clearer could she be?" "I... remember you jumping up here but... after that... it's gone." Aerith looked him in the eyes, worried. "What's happening to me?" She whispered.

Sephiroth couldn't look at her anymore -- he couldn't let her know he was worried.

"I... You lost alot of blood, you know. I'm sure it's nothing."

"No." Aerith said quickly. "It's something else. But I don't know what..."

Sephiroth just nodded. There was a few minutes of silence before Aerith spoke again.

"It's him." Aerith spoke with confidence but there was fear in her eyes. "He won't... leave me alone."

"Who?"

"That... man, Toyori. He's in my head." She lowered her eyes to Sephiroth's. Her wound was finally beginning to close.

"He keeps... telling me things."

"Like what?"

"That it'll be all my fault and that... he'll have me soon enough."

Sephiroth tensed. 'When did this start?' He voiced the question seconds later.

"I... When you found me on the Sierra. When you were having the meeting... remember?" Aerith sighed. "I'm not the same anymore... am I? I used to be such an optimist before, you know. But now... it seems like everything is happening so fast... and it's so hard."

Sephiroth just listened. The wound was almost healed...

"I don't have much longer."

* * *

Reno, Rude and Cait stood by the mako pool, looking at it intently. "Does this lead to somewhere?" Cait asked.

"Not a bad theory you got there." Reno said, ignoring the fact that Nanaki had almost pushed him in; Cid had blocked the attack.

"Damn &$& Turk! Watch it unless you wanna end up like $&$ Elena." Cid yelled, annoyed.

Reno waved his hand at Cid in indifference.

If there's some way that this leads to... wherever the hell Elena has been shipped off to, I ain't waitin for #& ever."

* * *

An all out war had erupted. Not only were Avalanche's two strongest fighters unable to participate in the battle, but Nanaki was too fast for any of them to keep up with him completely.

"This is useless!" Yuffie's sighed.

"Maybe if we knock him out...?" Vincent suggested.

Yuffie spun around to face him. "HEY! That's a GREAT idea!" Yuffie shrieked at the others to stop moving and stand off to the side. They complied almost gratefully.

"You ready?" Yuffie asked, holding her Conformer awkwardly. Vincent nodded. They ran.

* * *

"What are you talking about now?" Sephiroth asked.

Aerith looked at him for a moment, deciding on something. In the end, she shook her head. "Nevermind..."

"No, Aerith, what do you mean?" Sephiroth demanded, his voice firm.

"It doesn't--" Aerith stopped and her eyes closed. Sephiroth reacted by taking her hand and squeezing it. "Aerith?"

Her eyes snapped open again, but they weren't the green hue that he was so used to seeing, but a dark blue. He shook his head. "Planet, is this really a good time..."

"Please... I have... only so much time..." The Planet's eyes scanned the area. "Do you see... child?" Sephiroth's face contorted to that of confusion. "Yes..." The dark blue slowly changed to green.

"There!" Aerith pointed. "Sephiroth take me over there, now!"

Sephiroth regarded her with a look before jumping down to the ground. Aerith immediately fell to her knees and started digging. "Cetra, what are you doing?" Sephiroth asked. Aerith looked up at him in mock anger. "Stop it! My name is Aerith!" She broke into a smile at his bewildered look. "I'm not crazy, you know. Trust me."

Sephiroth nodded and watched as Yuffie and Vincent executed a series of flips and jumps, trying to corner Red. They had finally managed when Aerith yelled out.

"I found it!"

* * *


	19. Agony

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 19 - Agony_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

"I found it!" Aerith cried, a huge smile on her face. Just a few minutes ago, she'd had a huge gash in her stomach, bleeding profusely. She'd recovered quickly.

Sephiroth looked at her like she'd grown a few more heads. "It's a plant, Aerith." It _was_ a plant. It had frilly leaves bordered with cyan; the weirdest looking plant he'd ever seen. In fact, he had actually never seen this plant before.

Aerith shook her head. "Oh no, it's more then just a plant." Aerith turned to face him. "This is part of the cure..." Aerith frowned. "Oh, rats, I need a megalixer. Those are so hard to find!" Aerith scrutinized the tiny plant. "Strange, I always worked with herbs -- they improve healing of course, you know that --but I never learnt of this one."

"Do you know what it's called?" Sephiroth said, watching as both Yuffie and Vincent managed to hit Red on either side of his head, effectively knocking him unconscious, while searching his pockets for something.

"The Planet said it's called the Keshigeku. An extremely rare plant; there's only about three of them in this world."

Sephiroth nodded and continued to search his pockets yet more vigilantly.

"What on earth are you looking for?" Aerith asked. She gave him a bemused look when hespared her a dry look.

"The second part to your cure." Sephiroth said. Aerith gasped.

"You have one?"

"Yes." Sephiroth said in both an answer to her and a confirmation that he'd found it. He held it out for her to take.

"Aerith, are you alright?" Tifa ran up to them. Aerith looked at Tifa and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine."

Tifa eyed the items Aerith was holding. "What are these for?" Tifa picked the plant up and looked at it closely. "What a weird little thing."

Aerith giggled. "Tifa, Red is unconscious, yes?" Tifa nodded. "Can you get someone to carry him the his room in the Highwind; I have a cure for him." Aerith explained, motioning to the Megalixer and Keshigeku. Tifa's face immediately lit up.

"Oh, of course!"

* * *

Everyone had finally got into the Sierra, though there was resistance from the two Turks. They hadn't wanted to leave; Elena was in trouble and she of all people wouldn't be able to save herself. Aerith had managed to calm them somewhat as she knew a little bit more about what was happening now, but Red came first.

"Aerith!" Cloud caught up to Aerith as she was walking down to Red's room. "How are you feeling? That was a nasty wound. Do you think you should be going in there alone?" Genuine concern filled Cloud's eyes and she couldn't help but smile but her heart dropped to her stomach.

"I'm fine. Everything is taken care of! The healing process takes a while; you can come check on me later if you want. It's supposed to be quite tiring." Aerith reassured him.

"If you say so. I'll be back in a bit." Cloud said, nodding to Aerith when she consented.

Aerith watched him walk off and scolded herself; just because Cloud didn't seem to return her feelings didn't mean she had to get upset. But then, what were the feelings she shared for him? He was different now, this was the real Cloud. The Cloud she'd never had the chance to meet the first time she had been alive. Besides, he had Tifa. They deserved eachother and if they were happy, Aerith was beyond happy for them.

'Maybe I'm just sad because things never seem to work out for me.' Aerith thought. 'Besides,' Aerith smiled to herself and resumed her walk to Red's room, 'I've got Sephiroth, right?'

Aerith was surprised at how deep those words really went; he was definitely a different person now. She knew that he'd had a horrible childhood and even after that, he'd been treated like he was nothing but he seemed to be getting along so well. Of course, he would never actually admit to feeling alone... To feeling anything really, but Aerith knew. She knew all too well.He'd never really given much indication that he felt anything more then friendship to her though, so she resigned to pushing the feelings back.

What that really what she wanted though? She'd always thought about others' happiness before her own but... She felt she deserved something this time. She remembered what Tifa had said about how she could tell that Sephiroth liked her because he acted so differently around her. She felt a little spark of hope inside of her. Could they actually have something? But what about the others? They wouldn't approve...

Aerith knew that she shouldn't be choosing things solely on what her friends thought but so many problems could arise from a simple relationship. Where were these feelings coming from anyway? Aerith frowned. She knew from the first day they'd come back that she'd liked him but she hadn't expected things to escalate like this...

She shook her head and walked into Red's room, closing the door behind her. She had more pressing matters to attend to first.

* * *

"So, how's your little Vinnie?" Yuffie turned to find a smug looking Tifa behind her. She smirked at her.

"As if I'd tell you." Yuffie said, avoiding the question. She didn't want Tifa to know about thenight that she and Vincent had been sitting in the rain."What about you and Cloud?" Yuffie gained the reaction she'd been aiming for; Tifa blushed and ushered Yuffie into the deserted kitchen. She locked the doors.

"Yuffie, really." Tifa said. "I want all the little details!" Tifa squealed.

Yuffie stuttered. 'How does she know something happened?' Unfortunatly, that was all a part of Tifa's plan.Tifa smirked at her. "I knew it! Did something happen between you two?"

Yuffie groaned and slumped over onto the table.

Tifa was immediately in her face. "You can't hide it from me!"

"I, uh... W-we..." Yuffie began but was quickly cut off by a loud knock.

"What the $&?" Cid's voice sounded. "Hey, who's in my #$& kitchen?"

Tifa giggled. "Hey, it's as much my kitchen as yours! Girl talk, go away!"

"What the... It's my #$&#$& kitchen!" Cid yelled, kicking the door.

"Go away you old fart." Yuffie said.

"$&! Ima come in there and kick both your --" Cid stopped and seemed to consider something for a moment. "Ima come in there and kick &$& Kisaragi's ass!"

"WHAT?" Yuffie gaped at the door. "Hey, it wasn't just ME!" Yuffie glared at Tifa.

"Yea, well, can't #&$ kick Tifa's && ass. That would $&$ backfire." Cid grumbled, giving the door one last kick before walking away and leaving the two girls in peace.

"Wonder why he wanted in here sp badly." Yuffie said, trying to redirect the conversation.

"Oh no missy. Tell me!" Tifa pouted. "We've hardly had time to talk -- about this and other things -- since we've gotten back together again. Yuffieeee..."

Yuffie tried to avoid looking at Tifa but managed to catch a glimpse of her face and she relented. Sighing, she told Tifa about the night in the rain when they'd been 'missing' and everything else since then. "See, not a lot. Got your hopes up for nothing, eh?"

Tifa shook her head. "That's quite an improvement Yuffs. Vincent would never have done that before and it just proves that I was right!" Tifa provided an answer to Yuffie's questioning look. "I think he likes you." Tifa winked and began to walk away.

"Y-you think so?" Yuffie asked a little too eagerly. Tifa turned her head back to her, a huge grin present on her face. "I uh, I mean..."

"Yes, Yuffie. You've changed him." Tifa said.

Yuffie mulled it over in her head for a few seconds. "What about you and Cloud?"

"I think things are just fine between us; we talk and all. Don't know if he wants to take it further but..." Tifa cast her eyes to the floor, clasping her hands behind her back and twirling her foot behind her. "I don't want to say anything and end up ruining our friendship. We're a lot closer then before, true, but I think he has those kind of feelings for Aerith." Tifa said, her voice sounding hollow.

Yuffie gave her a sympathetic look and walked over to her, giving her a quick hug. "Aw, I'm sure things will work out the way they're supposed to. You and Cloud, Vincent and I," Yuffie blushed as she said this. "Aerith and..." Yuffie trailed off and silence was heard for a few very brief seconds.

Tifa finally spoke, smiling. "Sephiroth."

Yuffie looked at her in surprise. "You really think so?"

"I don't think Aerith seems to see it but she has major feelings for him. I think he returns them but... He's unsure. I don't think he believes himself worthy of her. Besides, he has some problems to work through." Tifa said. Yuffie smiled at her. "Sure it's not you and lil ol Sephy?" Yuffie taunted.

"Oh, god no. I've accepted him as a friend; you should try to get to know him too. I just know that what he's gone through and is going through, he needs to learn to believe that it wasn't his fault. I think Aerith is just the person."

"Everyone seems to be alot more accepting of him; Cid, the four of us, Red..."

"Yea. He needs the interaction."

"Hm." Yuffie gave a sad smile. "Aerith and Sephiroth. Would never have seen it coming."

Tifa shook her head. "Me neither. But we of all people know that anything, _anything,_ is possible."

Yuffie nodded.

"Well, I guess we shoul--" Yuffie jumped at the crash she heard outside. Several yells followed. Tifa was immediately at the door.

* * *

"Your $&$ girlfriend thinks Elena is less important then that #$&# red beast that _did_ try to kill us." Reno shouted at Sephiroth. His eyes were ablaze. "She knows something and she isn't telling us!"

Sephiroth simply stood there, regarding Reno with indifference.

"Reno, I thin--" Rude tried, but to no avail.

"#$$!" Reno swore, looking around the room. "I get you're all &$&$ friends, but we're a part of the group now, or so I thought." Everyone watched him knowing that he simply needed to vent.

"In case you didn't notice, _Turk_, that _red beast's_ the one who is most at risk and the one who is more a risk to _us_. We have no idea how to get to Elena and even if, _if_, Aerith knows a way to get her out of Toyori's grasp we would need alot more then one day." Sephiroth was literally beating Reno down with logic.

"$& you and your girlfriend yo. You're just crazy."

"Reno, that's enough." Cloud demanded, stepping in front of the general. "We know you are worried, we all are, but we need to do one thing at a time. When Aerith is finished, regardless of when she is finished, we will all be having a meeting. I promise you this. We will get her back." Cloud said.

Reno seemed to be battling deep inside himself, both wanting to just believe him and accept what he was saying without complaint but another part of him wanting to kick, punch and maybe yell some more at both the general and his newfound leader.

"Right. I'm going to my #&# room." Reno said, walking out of the room and mumbling a barely audible 'sorry' before leaving the room.

Cloud sighed and turned to Sephiroth. "Sorry bout that."

Everyone in the room held their breath, waiting for the fight to break out. Sephiroth merely raised an eyebrow and Cloud shrugged. "Gotta get over this sometime."

Sephiroth nodded and began to walk out of the room. He stopped just short of the door and seemed to hesitate before turning to face Cloud. "Cloud, can you..." Sephiroth paused and found himself looking just behind Cloud to see Cid, Yuffie and Tifa nodding their heads. "Can you and I have a word?"

Cloud nodded and followed him out the door, everyone lettings out the breaths they had been holding.

* * *

Aerith had finally managed to get the Megalixer and Keshigeku mixed properly with much help from the Planet, but she was now faced with a complicated question:

How much should she give to the feline?

If there was only a small supply of both ingredients, how could she know how much to give and how much to store? How was she to know if anyone else was going to be infected like this?

The Planet was no help either. It kept on sending her wisps of green and purple music along with the message that it couldn't help her. Why? She had asked the Planet far too many times but it had stayed silent. She found herself on the verge of tears moments earlier but she had promised herself that she needed to be strong, especially now.

But that didn't solve her problem.

She sat thinking about it for a while; if she decided to use the whole plant, she would have to try and make sure that only two more of the Avalanche members became ill, assuming of course that anymore did become ill. She certainly hoped not. But that could be avoided, the strain on the group of trying not to be bitten and infected. How was she to know how much would cure it though?

_'Dear friend, please, help me.' _

_My child... I cannot._

_'But why?'_

_I... Am sorry._

The Planet went silent. Aerith sighed. A few minutes passed and she decided that she would try half of it. If that didn't work, then hopefully adding the other half would end up working.

'But what if the first half can only stay in the system for so long? If it can only be immediately effective?'

Aerith shook her head. Too many thoughts. She went on with just the half of it.

"Half of the half on the tongue..." Aerith said quietly, giggling at how silly it sounded, hearing it aloud. After finishing she moved onto the next part. "The other half spread over the wound..."

Aerith finished and held her hands out in front of her, over Red. "I hope this works..."

Aerith called on a healing spell that she'd never used before. A bright light encased Nanaki and her hands and she began to speak softly.

* * *

Nothing was heard; a deafening silence. Cloud was leaning against one wall, arms across his chest and his mako blue eyes resting on Sephiroth who was leaning against the other wall, eyes cast away from Cloud.

A few more seconds passed before Cloud spoke up.

"So, is this what you called me out here for?" Cloud asked.

Sephiroth looked at him and stood to his full height. "No."

"Then what is it?" Cloud asked and watched his former idol pace in front of him.

"I... We need to stop this constant fighting. It's useless to fight against each other when it's so obvious we need to help each other." Sephiroth stopped. "Much as I might dislike it, I believe you and I should be on common ground. As friends, even." Sephiroth looked up to glance at Cloud before continuing. "Your friends believe this should happen as well."

"I agree with you -- and them." Cloud said. "You know, you were my idol once. Tifa and the others seem to forgive you and maybe I should too; you took my mother, the only person who ever treated me properly, away from me. It's hard, to just forget."

Sephiroth nodded but stayed silent.

"I think this could benefit both of us. I only ask one thing of you; stay away from or don't hurt Aerith."

Sephiroth scoffed and spoke again. "I do not intend to hurt her but you understand I cannot stay away from her."

"Why?" Cloud asked immediately. "I get you have this whole protection thing going on but you seem to take another interest in her."

Sephiroth watched he blonde haired warrior carefully. What was he getting at? Some romantic relationship with Aerith?

'You know that's what you want.'

Sephiroth shook his head. "I do not know what you mean. Either way, we had may as well start off now on a good note. Truce?" Sephiroth said, extending his hand.

Cloud seemed to make a decision. "Truce, friend." They shook hands.

Sephiroth nodded and walked back into the room.

Cloud stood just outside the door and began to wonder.

'Was that right?'

"Yes... Yes, it was."

* * *

Vincent watched as Sephiroth walked back into the room, nodding at Cid, Tifa and Yuffie's questioning glances. They all high-fived each other and both Tifa and Cid ran over to Sephiroth while Yuffie went to talk to Barret.

A wave of guilt crashed upon him. Lucrecia... He had failed her. Sephiroth... Maybe things would have been different had he handled things differently back then. Every time that thought entered his mind though, he was given another question to answer.

Would he want things to change?

Of course he felt bad about Lucrecia and would have wanted to save her, to help her and to smash Hojo's face in, but would that have stopped him from meeting Avalanche, the only real friends -- even family -- he'd ever had? Would he have met Yuffie? The hyperactive ninja who had changed his views on life, Lucrecia, himself...

"Hey, Vince." Vincent looked to his left to see Cid standing beside him. "What you thinkin bout?" He was careful not to swear around Vincent; he didn't 'approve', so he'd been told. Cid didn't really know why he refrained from swearing around him, but Vincent was the quiet guy in the group. The mysterious and, even though he didn't look or seem it to most, kind hearted man.

"Reflections." Ah, Lucrecia, Cid thought.

"'Ey, you come with me. I need some help with a few repairs?" Cid lit another cigarette and Vincent felt the urge to roll his eyes; Cid couldn't go a second without a smoke.

"Sure." Vincent said, leaving his thoughts behind him. He could relay some other time and maybe, just maybe, he could find it in himself to let Cid, one of his best friend's out of the Avalanche crew, know everything.

He owed it to himself.

* * *

Cloud watched as Tifa walked up to him after speaking with Sephiroth for a few minutes. Why did she hang around him so much?

"Cloud, I'm so proud of you." Tifa smiled, hugging him.

Cloud was surprised. "Maybe I should talk to Sephiroth more often." Cloud said, hugging Tifa back, inhaling the scent of her hair. Strawberries. Always the strawberries.

"Cloud..." Tifa began.

"Yea?" Cloud asked, looking down at Tifa. A few seconds passed with nothing coming from her.

"Uh... nevermind." Tifa said, sighing. 'Damn, you chicken!' She scolded herself.

Cloud had a feeling that he knew what she was going to say; she had done this last time when they'd been riding on the Gondola at the Golden Saucer.

"Tifa... What is it?" Cloud pried.

Tifa shook her head against his chest and he sighed. He took hold of her shoulders and pushed her away enough so that he could see her face.

"Tifa?"

Tifa searched his face for something; what it was was beyond him. He noticed that she looked like she was about to cry and the sudden urge to hold her close almost stopped him from what he was about to do.

He took gentle hold of her chin and tilted her head upwards, catching her lips in a deep kiss.

* * *

Yuffie was pulled out of her conversation with Barret when she saw what was happening not too far away. Her eyes widened almost comically. She tapped Barret on the forehead, earning an annoyed grunt from him but she pointed to Cloud and Tifa and he nearly mimicked her earlier action.

"Oh my GAWD!" Yuffie exclaimed, jumping up and down in happiness.

* * *

Tifa had not been expecting this. Not at all. When she'd seen the look in his eyes, she thought he was going to simply say something, not act on something.

Not that she minded.

When they finally broke apart, she noticed that all eyes were on them, but she didn't care. She stared at Cloud in shock.

"What?" Cloud asked, a lop-sided grin plastered on his face.

"W-what was that?" Tifa stuttered, trying not to fell to light headed and dizzy.

Cloud let out a laugh. "I know that's what you were trying to tell me just now and before in the Golden Saucer." Cloud smiled at her blush. "I always wanted to tell you but... I'm just a chicken deep down."

"It-it was that obvious?" Tifa asked, giggling in spite of herself. She was so happy!

Cloud simply nuzzled the side of her neck.

Tifa smiled and tears filled her eyes but a frown quickly replaced it. She pulled away from him and stepped away.

Cloud looked at her questioningly.

"What about Aerith?" Tifa asked. She needed to be sure.

Cloud sighed, relieved. "I admit that I thought I had feelings for her Tif. It took a long time of thinking and sorting my feelings but... I realised that I always just felt incredibly obligated and then guilty to her and about her death; I had failed her." Cloud paused, thinking. "I know now, she was just like a sister to me. Nothing more."

Tifa smiled and hugged him tightly.

"So long I waited for this you know!" She laughed. Cloud hugged her back and noticed all the looks he was recieving; knowing smiles. Cloud glared at them, telling them to leave them in peace for a bit. Yuffie was still dancing and wouldn't stop; Barret had to pick her up and carry her out.

"I'm sorry I didn't do this sooner." Cloud said, stroking her hair. She was now sobbing into his chest. "Everything is going to be fine now." Cloud soothed.

They both believed it.

* * *

"EE! It's ABOUT TIME!" Yuffie bounced around the room and right into the man walking down the stairs. Cid.

"CID! SOMETHING AWESOME HAS HAPPENED!" Yuffie screamed, jumping up and hugging him.

"Oy, I need to breathe!" Cid said, his cigarette falling out of his mouth. "$&!" Yuffie still refused to let go. "TIFA AND CLOUD! THEY GOT TOGETHER! EE!" Yuffie squealed.

"Well I'll be! The #&$ lovebirds are together Vince!" Cid said grinning, still trying to pry Yuffie off his frame.

"Hm. About time." Vincent said, stepping out from behind Cid. He hadn't even walked past Cid and Yuffie reached out and grabbed him around the waist like she had done Cid. The three of them stood together in a clump. Yuffie squealed again.

"STUPID CLOUD! Tifa's been waiting soooooo long!" Yuffie let the men go and looked around the room. Everyone was regarding Yuffie with amused looks. "She told me this morning. Awesome that she got her wish the very same day." Yuffie winked. "I am the matchmaker, 'kay?" Yuffie said. When nobody answered she nodded. "That's what I THOUGHT!"

Sephiroth moved from his spot against the wall. "I'm going to check on Aerith." Everyone nodded and he left without another word.

"Now," Cid said, taking a huge puff of his cigarette, "just gotta get the rest of you paired up." Cid winked at Yuffie and and motioned to the silver haired warrior. Yuffie smiled and nodded.

"You can't mean --" Barret began but he stopped. He knew. There was no denying it. He'd gone through it once andhe knew it when he saw it.

"Hehe." Cait said from the back. Everyone turned to face him. He had been awfully quiet these past few days. "I believe there are two people here we could pair up."

Yuffie turned red despite herself and turned away from the group, trying to hide it. "I, uh, I'm going with Sephy!" Yuffie said, rushing away as fast as possible.

* * *

Reno lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Rude had joined him not too long after he'd originally entered his -- their -- room. How could he have let this happen? How? Elena chose this time, the one time where it would have been better that Rude be captured, the one time they hadn't asked her to do anything. She had chosen _this_ time to be brave.

What if it got her killed?

Similar thoughts tumbled through his aching head and he found the sudden urge to punch something, to kill something, to break something. This was his fault.

He should've paid attention to her. Should've kept her safe.

Conflicting emotions, most of which he was sure he'd never felt before were racing through him. He was angry at Elena for being so stupid, so careless but at the same time he admired her sudden display of strength. Hadn't she told him once, that she didn't want anything else to happen to her colleagues?

Yes, she had. Was that what drove her to do this?

**_The sky littered with small but bright stars, was captivating tonight; more then any other. _**

**_Reno and Elena sit in the grass, thinking over everything that had happened. Rude had chosen to stay at headquarters for the night, away from everyone else._**

**_Tseng. He had died today. At the hands of Sephiroth? Nobody was really sure._**

**_Elena started to cry, her sobs echoing through the night. Reno put an arm around her small frame, pulling her closer. She immediately threw her arms around his neck and started speaking. _**

**_"I... This won't... h-happen... again... I won't let i-it!"_**

**_Reno stroked her hair subconsciously, looking up at the stars. Was Tseng up there? Was he in the lifestream or was he wandering the world, wondering why he had died?_**

**_"Shhh... Elena. We're here. We're gonna get through this." Reno said. He felt particularly vulnerable and useless tonight; he may as well show Elena his kind side. Who knew if he would be able to show it again?_**

"Damn." Reno said aloud.

Rude moved in the chair he was sitting in but didn't utter a word.

"She told me... Told me she wouldn't let us get hurt." Reno said. "The day Tseng died, when you stayed at headquarters."

Guilt flowed through him when he realized what he'd said to Avalanche; everything was stressful enough without him screwing things up even more. He wanted to change, to become a better person then what he had been, he'd vowed that he would. He'd already messed that up. All his life he'd been abused, neglected and he'd tried to pay the world back. He failed to realize a few things along the way.

He wasn't alone. He never would be. The people here -- his friends -- were here to help him. They weren't going to leave the Turks in the dust. They'd befriended each other rather quickly too. He knew they were worried but he found himself wondering what was happening to her.

What was she thinking? I did it, I saved my friends? Why hasn't Reno and Rude come for me? What's going to happen to me?

Reno tried to push the annoying thoughts away but didn't succeed. He knew this was going to be a long night.

One of the longest of his life.

* * *

Sephiroth hadn't even been that far down the hallway when he heard footsteps coming up from behind him. Someone was running at him.

"Sephiroth -- wait up!" Yuffie panted, arms flailing.

Sephiroth turned to face her and caught her by the arm when she stopped, almost falling over. After a bit she stood up. "Thanks."

Sephiroth nodded and began forward again. "Had to follow you -- you're cool." Sephiroth smirked. 'Aerith warned me about this.'

"I want battle skills like you! I bet you could steal Materia and not be caught, hey?" Yuffie asked. Sephiroth let out a laugh. "Yes, I suppose I could."

They walked in silence for a moment and Yuffie just had to ask.

"So, you like Aerith, huh?"

Sephiroth nearly tripped. What?

"What?" Sephiroth asked.

"Aw, come on, you can tell me! I keep secrets! Hasn't she told you!" Yuffie gasped. "Oh my gawd, what did she say about me?"

"She said you were talkative and in answer to your question..." Sephiroth paused briefly; what he said would probably go back to Aerith so he couldn't flat out deny it. "I..." Sephiroth paused again. How to solve this one? The little ninja could be trusted, Aerith had actually told him this. "Possibly." Sephiroth smirked at the look on her face.

"Wow. I didn't think you'd tell me! I won't tell her promise!" She held her pinky up and Sephiroth vaguely remembered his troops -- the women -- doing this, promising each other they'd return from battle in one piece and have celebrations.

Despite himself, he lifted his hand and let her pinky-swear him.

"I always knew you were cool. Tif said so too!" Yuffie said, not really paying attention to where she was going and walked into a wall. "Ow!"

Yuffie recovered quickly though; maybe that's where Aerith got it from Sephiroth mused. "Ima beat you to Aerith's room!" Yuffie said and she shot off.

* * *

Aerith let her hands fall to her sides. She was drenched in sweat; she hadn't expected it to be _that_ much!

Half of the plant had worked and Aerith found herself thanking whatever gods had been listening to her.

She struggled to stand up and managed to gather her things, though very slowly. She went to the door and was just about to open it when it swung open before her.

"Oh. Hey Sephiroth, Yuffie. Where's Cloud?" Aerith asked, the fatigue in her voice was audible.

"Cloud?" Yuffie asked.

"Yea, he said he was coming to check on me later. Doesn't really matter though." Aerith said, closing her eyes in exhaustion.

"I'm sure he's a little bit busy with his new girlfriend." Yuffie grinned. Aerith's eyes shot open.

"He did it?" Aerith gasped.

"YEA!" Yuffie squealed. Sephiroth rolled his eyes.

"Oh my goodness! That's quite the advance." Aerith smiled. For some reason, her heart felt lighter.

Yuffie nodded but changed the subject. "How's Red?"

Aerith looked back at the now peacefully sleeping feline. "He's alright now. The green glow is gone. He's cured."

"Oh, Aerith, you're a genius." Yuffie exclaimed. "At least that's one problem taken care of."

"Tired?" Sephiroth finally spoke.

"Very." Aerith responded wearily.

"Good. Let's take you back to your room then!" Yuffie said. "You know Aerith, Sephy is really cool! You shoulda seen what he did!" Yuffie said. "He actually pinky-sweared me!"

Aerith giggled and looked up at the silver haired general. He nodded.

* * *

Toyori poked his head into the chamber where the female Turk was being held; still knocked out. He frowned. Should the mako have been affecting her for this long?

_Doesn't matter... You need to get the White Materia!_ A dark and sinister voice hissed.

Toyori nodded, rubbing his eyes. He had another long day ahead of him tomorrow; apparently they had found a cure to the fiends' bite. No worries though, he had many more things for Avalanche and the Turks to play with. But first...

What to do about Sephiroth? He would no doubt we guarding the puny Ancient again.

_I have an idea..._ The voice hissed again

"Let's hear it then." Toyori sneered. "I'm at a loss."

A noise from the chamber startled him slightly.

_It seems our little... prisoner is awake... Begin the process as soon as possible._ The voice demanded.

"But--!" Toyori began.

_Later..._ Snapped the voice._ There is enough time, do not worry._

Toyori knew better then to ignore his two superiors. He nodded and walked into the chamber.

"Well, well, sweetheart. Seems you're awake. Pity for you." He smiled.

* * *


	20. Fields of Hope

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 20 - Fields of Hope_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Aerith drummed her fingers against the table lightly, watching them intently. She wasn't _really_ watching them -- she was much more interested in the thoughts running through her head. Avalanche was seated around her, talking about what to do next,but she just couldn't focus.They had so much time, it seemed, but really, anything could happen. What if that creepy man, Toyori, came looking for them? Were there more like him? Where had he come from, anyway?

She felt frustrated, helpless even, at the fact that she had no answers to her questions. Nobody did. Not even the Planet.

_Dear friend... please...what is going on? Why won't you speak to me anymore...?_

Silence.

Aerith shook her head. Useless. Everything she did seemed useless. All she did was get caught by their enemies, get wounded in battle... She grimaced at the last thought; she had been so horrified at the fact that she'd had such a huge gash in her side, bleeding heavily. How had she passed it off so quickly? She'd nearly been killed because of her carelessness!

And Sephiroth. What a burden she must be!

She immediately felt depressed; what did they really think of her? She knew that they always kept an eye on her during battle, though secretively. It was nice and all, but she could defend herself. Couldn't she?

_My god... Am I really so weak?_

A hand squeezed hers and her head snapped up. Yuffie was looking at her with concern; not something you would usually see on the hyperactive ninja's face.

"You okay?" Yuffie whispered.

Aerith blinked. She'd been caught. She cast her eyes downward. "I'm alright." She looked up at Yuffie, forcing a smile onto her face. "I was just thinking."

Yuffie nodded and turned her head around to listen in on the plan again.

_What is wrong with me! Why am I acting like this. _

_I should be happy._

_Right?_

_So why aren't I...?_

Aerith's feelings were so conflicted -- she was confused, angry, depressed almost. She could have searched forever and never out why. Maybe it was the whole 'coming back from the dead' thing. Or the crisis -- that could send anyone into her state. Right?

She wasn't doing a very good job of convincing herself.

Avalanche suddenly stood up and she was beyond grateful; she needed to get out of this room, into the fresh air. She quickly left the room before anyone else and made her way to the Sierra's deck.

* * *

Red had been watching Aerith the whole time they had the meeting; something seemed to be bothering her, but he hadn't the slightest idea as to what it might be. He watched as Yuffie whispered something to Aerith and wondered why she was smiling. She had tears in her eyes.

Red frowned. What could be wrong?

He'd only just recently awoken, finding himself in good shape, completely cured. Tifa and Vincent had filled him in on everything that had happened. He was still appalled at what he had done, or tried to do but his friends waved it away dismissively saying it was over and done with; they knew he had meant them no harm.

He knew it was Aerith who had saved him from whatever it was that had taken him over and he would've liked nothing better then thank her and repay her back. He only wished he knew what was wrong so he could help her in any way he could.

* * *

Aerith's eyes were closed and she simply leaned on the railing, enjoying the feel of the breeze on her face, birds cries. She felt so in tune with the Planet when she was here; outside, fresh air, the sun! Everything was so beautiful, peaceful, quiet.

Movement from behind her made her turn around. Sephiroth stood there, looking out at the sky behind her.

"Hey." Aerith smiled weakly before turning around again. She heard Sephiroth walk up behind her, eventually finding his way to standing beside her. They stood there for a few minutes in deafening silence. Aerith began to wonder why he'd come.

"You didn't hear anything during that meeting, did you?" Sephiroth asked.

Aerith smiled and felt tears pricking her eyes. "No."

_Why am I crying? _

Sephiroth snorted. Aerith looked at him in surprise before giggling a little bit.

"What?"

"Nothing. I've never heard the great general snort before; how uncharacteristic of you." Aerith smiled.

Sephiroth spared her a fleeting glance. Was she crying? Sephiroth became wary almost immediately. Had he upset her? Someone else?

"Could you tell me what's going on." Aerith asked quietly. "Sorry."

Sephiroth shook his head. "Why?"

"I should have been paying attention; besides, I've done this to you on more then one occasion."

Sephiroth filled her in. They were going to be splitting into three groups that were undecided as of now; they needed to find Elena, warn the towns and search for clues and files having anything to do with Mako infusion. There had to be a clue.

"Are we going to search through Hojo's files? I wouldn't be surprised if he had something to do with this." Aerith asked nonchalantly.

Sephiroth considered this. Nobody had even mentioned looking through Hojo's files, let alone any in the Shinra building.

"Nobody mentioned it."

"Hm... I think we should you know." Aerith turned around and clapped her hands together, grinning. "That crazy old scientist must have known something -- he was into Mako infusion and whatnot right?"

Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak but was cut off.

"Alright you $$& $&$! Get down to the &$& meeting room now!" Cid yelled through the PA system.

Aerith caught Sephiroth's eyes watching her.

"Well... Let's go I guess." Aerith began to walk when Sephiroth took hold of her arm and pulled her back to face him.

"Are you alright?"

Aerith panicked internally.

_Wha...? I didn't even--!_

"Um... Why would you say that?" Aerith said sweetly, cocking her head to the side.

Sephiroth looked at her doubtfully before shaking his head. "Nothing." Sephiroth looked off to the side. "Let's go."

With that, he walked away from her, emotionless mask in place.Aerith stared after him. Had she made him upset? She shook her head and ran after him. She would deal with it later.

* * *

Sephiroth didn't see why it should bother him so much.

He knew something was wrong; he could tell through the way she spoke, acted, through her eyes.

Did she not trust him?

_Why should she...?_

* * *

Cloud stood impatiently at the front of the group trying to get them all to be quiet. Cid and Yuffie were fighting (as usual) about the Sierra, Barret was cursing to himself for some unknown reason, the Turks were, amazingly, quiet and everyone else seemed to be rampaging around everywhere. He watched Sephiroth walk in alone; he'd gone to see Aerith, hadn't he?

Aerith walked in a few minutes later and the room went dead silent. Everyone took their seat and looked to Cloud expectantly. "Well..." Cloud began. Sweatdrop moment.

"Let's make this quick then." Cloud said and was about to continue when Sephiroth spoke. "I believe we have a change of plans."

Everyone turned their attention to him but he still looked at Cloud, not seeming to care that everyone was watching him.

"Aerith brought up an interesting point." Sephiroth said. "Hojo's files and the files in the Shinra library."

"Sephiroth," Nanaki began."Midgar, including the Shinra building, was completely destroyed." Red said, swishing his tail. "I don't believe that any files would still be there."

Sephiroth quickly glanced at Red before looking at Cloud again. "I believe it would be worth it to check it out, regardless. I believe that Hojo is smarter then you think."

Cloud gave him a confused look.

"He may have known that, one day, the Shinra building would have collapsed. I certainly don't put it past him. He may have had duplicated notes stored away in another area or his whole lab may simply still be intact. He spent a lot of time on his notes, his tests and he hardly ever left the lab."

Cloud mulled it over in his mind for a moment. "Alright." Cloud said, nodding. "We'll split up into three groups; one will head for Midgar to check for Hojo's files and then will head to the Shinra mansion to do the same. Tifa, Reno, Cait and I will do that." Cloud looked for affirmation and all of them nodded.

"Red, Barret, Aerith and Vincent -- I want you going back to that Mako Pool. Search for clues. Anything that could help lead us to the whereabouts of Elena. Be on your guard." Cloud said pointedly, looking directly at Aerith.

Sephiroth seemed to fall into a darker mood.

Cloud caught theway Sephiroth seemed to draw back."Vincent will be there; he's one of the strongest out of all of us."

Sephiroth nodded and Cloud continued.

"Sephiroth, Yuffie, Cid, Rude; travel to towns and make sure that you warn them and set them up with precautions. Cid, give every town a PHS so they can contact us should anything happen."

Aerith spoke up.

"I would really appreciate it if Sephiroth's group looked for the Keshigeku." At some blank looks she quickly added, "the plant used to heal Red. If we need more of it, we can't waste time searching for it after the fact." Aerith paused for a moment. "Reno, Rude."

Reno and Rude looked over at her, letting her know they were listening.

"Elena is alright. We have some time, but she is, for now, unharmed." Aerith gave them a warm smile and the two of them looked visibly relieved.

"Alright." Cloud spoke when everyone had looked back his way. "Let's get going."

* * *

The first to be dropped off was Cloud's group. They left with the promise of keeping in touch and checking in every so often.

Much to Sephiroth's obvious dislike, Aerith was dropped off wth her three companions next. Everyone knew that Sephiroth was worried but he did a good job of hiding the way he felt.

Once it was just Sephiroth, Yuffie, Cid and Rude left, Cid spoke up.

"Alright you $& $$&. Where the $&$ are we going next?"

"Cid!" Yuffie yelled. "Stop SWEARING you chain smoker!"

Cid gave her a dismissive look before turning to the other two, pushing her out of the conversation. "Hey!"

She stomped around until she was standing in front of Cid. "You can't just leave me out!"

"Yuffie..." Rude warned. Yuffie immediately shut up and dragged her way over to Sephiroth where she stood beside him and sulked.

"I think we should head for the larger towns first. The fiends would generally gather where the larger amount of people are." Sephiroth suggested.

Cid nodded. "Where to then? Junon."

"Wutai!" Yuffie said, jumping up.

"Alright. Hang on tight, #$&#! Brat, don't you &$ dare puke on my $$ airship! You #$#& got that?"

* * *

Tifa stumbled over a rock literally hidden in the ground. _What a mess. _Tifa took in all of her surroundings.

When the Weapon had destroyed the Shinra building, bits and pieces of it went everywhere. Debris had covered both Wall Market and the slums of Midgar, encasing the whole upper area in a fog of dust and particles. Metal shards were everywhere Tifa walked-- this was some sort of death trap!

_All the people who were here..._

She couldn't even imagine what the people who'd lived here thought. She could just see the little children running around happily -- as happily as they could be, of course -- the few animals there were sauntering around and the tons of people who had to work outside. The pain they must've felt. It was bad enough they had had to live down here, but to think of those poor people, having everything, small as it was, ripped away from them.

_Shinra._

Anger filled her being at the mere thought of it. Reeve had wanted to rebuild the company not too long ago, but in the end they decided against it. Avalanche would be there for as long as they could and nobody wanted to live in Midgar anyway. The last thing they needed to do was spark panic amongst everyone with the mention of a new Shinra.

They reached the entrance of the building, what was left of it anyway. There was enough room to get inside the building and you could see that the floors above were somewhat intact -- maybe Sephiroth was right.

"Now." Cloud said, grabbing their attention. "I want you all to be careful; any sign of a collapse, make a run for it. Stick close." Everyone nodded and they began to walk inside.

The walls were covered in mud and rats were skittering around their feet as they moved inside. Tifa grimaced at the claw marks on the walls. What was in here? Who was to say this whole building hadn't been inhabitted by fiends?

The air inside the building was stale the further they walked. Disrupted dust fell from the roof at the movement they made.

"Man. This place is one hell of a dump." Reno said, swinging his nightstick. Tifa still wondered how the stick never managed to electrocute him.

"I'll say!" Cait said. Tifa noticed he'd been awfully quiet for the past while. "We'll show you the way!"

Tifa smiled.

"Cait... We've been here before." Cloud said, looking at the walls as they passed.

"True, true... You don't know ever little thing about this building do you?"

Cloud shook his head.

"_Professor_ Hojo had tons of secret labs in here." Reno said, looking to the side at Cloud. "You've seen one of them, right?"

"Yes but we were caught. We never really went much further." Tifa said, feeling oddly left out.

"Well babe, he's got plenty more. I had to go to his most 'top-secret' lab once for some half assed treatment." Reno wrinkled his nose in disgust while saying it.

"Oh." Tifa said, watching the walls as Cloud had done earlier. "These look like they could cave in at any second."

"They probably could." Cloud said. "This building is completely unstable."

Tifa nodded.

They walked on in silence for a while. The walk was beyond boring as the scenery never changed. _How could someone haveworked here?_

"Gah!" Cait yelled, jumping back from his spot on the wall. All heads turned toward him.

"What?"

"A rat."

"Are you serious, dude?" Reno asked.

Cait glared best he could before walking further ahead of them.

A few more minutes passed until a faint trembling was felt. The walls seemed to shiver and the dust fell a little heavier then before. Tifa stopped in her tracks and tensed.

"Hey, did you feel that?" Tifa asked.

"Feel what?" Cait responded.

"It felt like..." Tifa began but stopped. She was probably just imagining things. "It's nothing. Let's keep going."

The next tremor was felt by all four andcaused them tostand still. The tremor came again, thought much more forcefully. The ceiling seemed to crack and a few concrete bits fell. "Move!" Cloud yelled just as the whole ceiling came crashing down on top of them.

"Reno!" Cloud yelled, pushing Tifa to Reno in one direction before jumping back out of harms way. Reno grabbed Tifa's wrist and ran forward. Tifa crashed into Reno and stood there until the shaking ended.

"Cloud?" Tifa called timidly. What had caused that?

"Tif! You alright? Reno?" A muffled reply came from the other side of the huge concrete rocks barring the path. Tifa sighed in relief.

"We're okay!" She called back.

"Yep. All thanks to me." Reno grinned. "Shouldn't you thank me, sweet?"

A swift kick in the gut was all it took to shut him up.

"Cloud. What are you closer to?" Tifa asked. "Library or lab?"

"Cait says were closer to the library." Cloud said.

"Okay. You go to the library and I will go with... Reno... to Hojo's lab." She looked back to see Reno coming up beside her.

"Damn woman, that's one hell of a kick, yo." Reno gasped.

Tifa smirked. "Let's go."

They walked their separate ways in hopes of finding some kind of clue.

* * *

"This is sooooo boring!" Yuffie whined, trying to fall in step with Sephiroth. A little part of her was worried; how would the whole of Wutai react when they saw Sephiroth?

After Cid had droppedSephiroth and Yuffieoff near Wutai --Cid and Rude had headed off to another town --PHS in hand and precautions in mind, they had begun walking. Cid and Rude had headed off to another town.Yuffie had only then realized that Sephiroth was the man who had fought and won in the war with Wutai so long ago.

But then, when they'd first been in Kalm, why hadn't anyone freaked out when they'd seen him?

"Hey Seph." Yuffie said. "Won't people kinda... react er... violently maybe? when they see you?"

"I'm not sure." Was his short reply.

Yuffie frowned. Not a big talker, huh? She'd show him!

"Well, you know, in Kalm and all... Nobody even seemed to _see_ you."

Sephiroth thought for a moment. Yes, that was right. Why hadn't anyone recognized him?

"Maybe they think you're a cosplayer or something... Damn good one though! Too bad they don't know you're the real thing."

"Cosplayer?" Sephiroth eyed her skeptically.

"Yea, totally. After you died and all, lot's of people started so cosplay as you. Aerith too." Yuffie said. "Only few people for Aerith though; nobody really knew her. She was always quiet back then."

"Back then?"

Yuffie jumped internally. He was talking! Amazing!

"She's different now, you know? Really different actually. She never used to break down and stuff. She was always happy and trying to cheer us all up." Yuffie went quiet. "Is something wrong with her? I mean! Did something happen to her in the lifestream or something?"

Sephiroth honestly couldn't say. "I'm unsure. She does act weird from time to time but... I doubt it has much to do with the lifestream, maybe just the fact that she was dead for a while." Sephiroth came to realize just how that sounded. Being dead. "I don't know."

Yuffie didn't press the conversation any further -- she figured he was worried about Aerith too.

"Welp!" Yuffie screeched. "There it is!" She pointed to the vast pagoda in the distance, a small town sitting in front of it. They made their way toward it without saying another word.

_I hope this goes alright..._

* * *


	21. Time

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 21 - Time_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Aerith was sitting beside the Mako pool, simply daydreaming and trying to find something to do to pass the time. She, Nanaki, Vincent and Barret could not find anything pointing to where Elena might be. Although, Aerith had a suspicion.

She lowered her gaze from the sky to the glowing Mako beside her. Something told her that this pool had something to do with it. Reno's last idea about it leading to somewhere else wasn't as far-fetched to her as it was to most of the others.

She let her fingers trace around it, just barely above it. She cocked her head to the side. Lead to somewhere...

It's possible, right?

_Planet...?_

_Yes my child..._

_? Planet! You're here... Where have you been..._

Aerith...

_Something is amiss, dear child... I am sorry..._

_No, no, it's alright. _

_You must be careful. You are not safe anymore... _

Aerith...?

Aerith could feel the Planet's great unease.

_Why am I in danger...?_

The Planet sent waves of streaming colors into Aerith's mind, soothing her somewhat. Regardless, the Planet was still uncomfortable.

_Protector is not with you..._

_Sephiroth?_

Aerith?

Aerith took that moment to look at her comrades standing around her. She gave them a questioning glance when she saw the looks on their faces.

"What is it?" Aerith asked, looking around and behind her.

The Planet seemed to laugh. _They called you many times..._

Aerith giggled. "Sorry. I was... distracted." Aerith said, looking at the ground beneath her.

"I see." Red said, a lop-sided grin on his face.

"Why we still 'ere?" Barret complained. "We ain't got nothin' to go on 'ere. We should get back. We can't do anythin' more."

"I still think Reno was right." Aerith said.

"Reno could have a point but wouldn't that harm Toyori?" Vincent asked.

"Not if he was exposed to the Makobefore." Aerith shook her head no. "I think he was. He had that aura about him. There wasn't any noticeable sign in his eyes but who's to say he didn't have a way to cover it up." Aerith explained herself, standing.

The others seemed to think about this for a moment.

"Well." Nanaki started. "We haven't found anything. We'd may as well head back so we can help the others."

They all nodded and Aerith pulled out her PHS to call Cid and get him to pick them up.

* * *

"Man it's hot out." Yuffie sighed, dragging her feet behind Sephiroth. For nearly three hours they had been walking around her hometown, telling everyone about the dangers and setting them up with different precautions. Yuffie had been the one to talk while Sephiroth stood beside her. It was evident in the beginning that with Sephiroth, it would not be easy.

Thanks to Yuffie though, things had turned out alright. While Wutai may not have forgiven the man, once Yuffie had explained things to each person in town, they let it go.

_**"Yuffie-chan!" The old woman yelled at seeing Sephiroth. "What are you doing with this man? Dressing up as Sephiroth. My, my, Lord Godo must be appalled with you."**_

_**Yuffie simply smiled and held herself in check as the woman in front of her, whom she had known her whole life, berate her for the simple act of walking around with someone who 'dressed up' as Sephiroth. **_

_**"Actually Gramma Nita, this is the real Sephiroth." Yuffie said seriously. **_

_**"Yuffie-chan! I thought you'd put your lying behin..." Gramma Nita stopped in mid-sentence, seeing the look in the 17 years old's eyes. "Oh. Yuffie dear, what have you gotten yourself into..." She groaned.**_

_**"Gramma, please." Yuffie said. "We need hi--"**_

_**"Isn't being the one who saved the world and everyone in it enough?" Gramma Nita asked. She turned to Sephiroth accusingly. "Why are you back? Why have you dragged my little pumpkin into this?"**_

_**Yuffie blushed at her old nickname. "Stop that! Look, Cid is with me. Vincent, Cloud, Barret, Tifa, everyone is with us." Yuffie stopped. "Even Aerith." **_

_**Gramma Nita seemed to be stumped. "Well my dear, if those you call your family are with you and you trust this man..." She sighed. "I suppose I must leave you be." She nodded. "What is it that you need?"**_

_**Yuffie's face lit up. "Seph and I need your help."**_

From then on, Gramma Nita had been walking with them around Wutai, explaining and gaining everyone's trust. All that was left was her father, Godo. Gramma Nita had left with her best wishes and Sephiroth had figured that she would be the best person to give the PHS to so they'd left one with her.

Somehow, Yuffie knew this was going to be difficult. Not only had Sephiroth been the downfall of Wutai in the first place, but he'd taken her mother's life. For some reason, Yuffie couldn't bring herself to blame him for her mother's death though. She glanced at him quickly. He'd gone through so muchand to an extent, she could understand.

_That's why..._ Yuffie thought. He was mistreated by his father, as was she. He'd lost his mother, as had she, regardless that she'd lost hers to him. He'd been forced to do someone else's bidding and ultimately had had no say in his future for a time. She could relate to all of that.

She stopped her train of thought once they reached the Pagoda. A rush of anger filled her being. Being back here, near the pagoda... near his house... She immediately shook her head at the thoughts. She and her father had become closer, hadn't they?

"Something bothering you?" Sephiroth asked, the first thing he'd said for the longest time. She realized that she too hadn't said anything for a while and was surprised.

"Just... my father and I never got alone. Made me... do some things, you know? Steal from Avalanche and things like that, all for the good of Wutai. Found out he was lying though." A distant and faraway look came to her eyes. "She told me it was okay though, that I could come with them." Yuffie said softly.

"She?" Sephiroth asked, pushing the pagoda doors and watching as Yuffie walked in ahead of him.

"Aerith." Yuffie said, turning her head slightly. "She... told me to come with Avalanche after I almost got them killed; her included; in fact, she got hurt the most."

Sephiroth watched her curiously.

Yuffie sniffled before turning to him, grinning like a mad woman. "ANYWAYS! Welcome to the pagoda. It's not much, in fact, it's a damn hell-hole but what do you do." She began walking off up the stairs.

Sephiroth smiled at seeing her back to her usual self before following after her.

* * *

Cid and Rude stood on the airship watching as their fellow team members walked up the ramp. Right when they'd gotten the call from Aerith, they'd gone over right away to the Mako pool.

Aerith was the last to get into the Sierra and when she did she sighed in contentment. "So nice to be back." At everyone's bewildered looks she continued. "Familiar scenery. I hate being out there and not knowing when something will happen." She changed the subject quickly. "Where's Sephiroth?"

"Wutai." Cid answered. "We're going to go and get him now. They should be done."

Aerith nodded and went to her room.

* * *

Yuffie entered the last room in the pagoda almost cautiously and Sephiroth had no idea why. When he walked into the room completely, he could see five people sitting in the middle of the room, discussing something Sephiroth couldn't be bothered to try and hear.

Yuffie was continually glancing back and forth from both Sephiroth and the larger man in the middle of the room, whom Sephiroth assumed was her father. Lord Godo.

"U-um..." Yuffie began. "Dad...?" Yuffie asked timidly, trying to gain his attention.

Godo and the other 4 turned their heads toward Yuffie. 3 paled while the other's faces hardened.

"Now, now, nobody ge--" Yuffie began but Godo was already on his feet and running towards Sephiroth, sword drawn.

Sephiroth's eyes widened as he remembered something from back in the Wutaian War...

_**"My dear... take Yuffie... and please... lea... leave me..." **_

_**Godo stood over his wife, vicious fury dancing in his eyes. **_

_**"Please... leave this man... Sephiroth..." The woman looked Sephiroth in the eyes and something struck him. She cared about what happened to him? "Leave him be... be... sa--" He head fell to the side, a smile gracing her lips. **_

_**The young child beside her began to cry for her mother. Godo looked at him sorrow in his eyes before taking his daughter and walking away.**_

_**"It's alright, Yuffie... it's alright." He whispered as he walked away.**_

"Yuffie?" Sephiroth exclaimed. He didn't realize... how could it have slipped his mind...?

"Dad, NO! Sephiroth!" Yuffie yelled.

Sephiroth looked up to see the sword about to cut him in half. With impossible speed, he whipped out his katana and with one flick of his wrist, Godo's weapon went flying in the other direction. Godo stumbled in surprise and fell to the ground.

"Yuffie." Godo hissed violently. "How... Why?"

"Dad, please..." Yuffie cried. "You can't do this."

Sephiroth stood in shock and silent contemplation. He'd killed Yuffie's mother! He'd... He'd almost taken her life. He looked at Yuffie in horror. What had he done?

"Sephiroth...?" Yuffie asked, approaching him slowly. "Seph, what's wrong." Yuffie asked seriously, seeing that Sephiroth was taking a few steps backwards.

"Your mother... I... I..." Sephiroth stuttered, utter remorse in his eyes.

"You didn't remember?" Yuffie asked, surprised. Sephiroth shook his head no.

"Sephiroth, it's alright. It's in the past, it doesn't bother me anymore." Yuffie assured him. "I heard what she asked of my dad. I know it all. She stopped my father from hurting you." She glanced at her dad before hurriedly adding:

"I forgave you long before you even came back."

"Yuffie!" Godo roared. "He killed your MOTHER! The woman you cried for to come back to you for years!"

"Shut up, old man!" Yuffie snarled. "You have NO right to talk to me about what rights I HAVE."

Godo looked away immediately, shame filling his eyes.

Yuffie walked the rest of the distance to Sephiroth and took his hand in hers. "It's alright, okay?"

Sephiroth looked down at her and was beyond relieved to see the sincerity her words held. He nodded and she sighed.

"As for you..." Yuffie started. "Look, Cid and Vincent and all the others are looking out for me. They don't even have to! Sephiroth is a good guy now. Aerith is back too, you know. She's keepin' him in check." Yuffie said, winking at Sephiroth who looked abashed.

Yuffie smiled and turned to look at her father again. "Look, I'm getting out of here soon." Yuffie said, lowering her gaze. "I know you may not be able to forgive him, but I'm not sorry that I can." A fierce determination drove her to continue. "It's obvious that mom saw the problems he faced when he was younger and she chose to save him and rightly so. Sephiroth wasn't himself before this. You need to realize that." Yuffie spoke and Sephiroth finally saw that mature and emotionally abused side of her.

"I know you miss her. I do too and I know that--" Yuffie choked back a sob. "I know that I remind you of her and you and I aren't close but you need to listen to me this time. Don't argue with me, just listen." Yuffie said. "Please."

Silence filled the room, the four onlookers watching intently while Yuffie sat and waited. Sephiroth looked mildly uncomfortable.

Godo cleared his throat. "I'm listening."

Yuffie looked almost disappointed but she hid it quickly enough so that only Sephiroth and one of thefour surrounding people could notice it.

"I need you to be careful. There is a new crisis about. Avalanche is back in motion, the Turks and Aerith and Sephiroth are with us too. We're giving each town a PHS and now I'm going to tell you what you need to do if one of the fiends come by." Yuffie stated.

Godo looked up at his daughter and nodded.

"The fiends you need to worry about are glowing. Green glowing, like Mako.BOTH physical attacks and magical attacks don't work. You can push, shove whatever, but no attacking. It just doesn't work." Yuffie looked up at Sephiroth. He sighed and spoke.

"It seems that at a specific point in battle, you are able to attack them. Aside from that, I would think you should try to capture it and find some way to drag it off somewhere or call us. We've given a PHS to someone in the town and they can call us and we'll take it away."

Godo looked confused. "All that for a fiend?"

Yuffie nodded. "Yes. Don't let them bite you, WHATEVER you do! Never let them bite you. You become infected and lose your state of mind. Nanaki is the first to experience it." Yuffie said.

Godo nodded. "Alright." He stood.

Yuffie nodded. "Well, I think it's time Sephiroth and I left." She looked over at him and he nodded his approval. "Cid should be here any minute." He said.

"Right." Yuffie said. "Well, see you dad. Chekov, Shake, Staniv, Gorky... See ya." She said, waving.

"Yuffie!" Godo called out. Yuffie turned to face him and was caught in a hug.

Yuffie's eyes widened. When was the last time he'd held her like this? Not since she was younger...

"Dad. I'll be fine. I'll come back..." Yuffie said, tears coming to her eyes.

"You'd better, or I'll have his head." Godo said, motioning to Sephiroth. "Bring her back, you hear?"

Sephiroth nodded. "I will."

They walked out soon after saying their goodbyes.

Yuffie's heart and mind, lighter then it had been for years.

* * *

"Reno, would you hurry it up." Tifa said, turning around to face him and still walking, though backwards.

Reno gave her an icy glare. "Yo, I am not the one who decided to kick my drop-dead sexy comrade." Tifa rolled her eyes at this. "I will go as slow as I want. It's eternally your fault, yo."

Tifa smirked and turned forward again. "Stop saying 'yo'. It's beyond annoying."

Reno smirked this time. "Yo." He earned a death glare from the martial artist. "Hehe."

Tifa gasped after they continued to walk forward for some time. "There! There it is, Reno, we've found it!" Tifa said smiling.

"Yep, we did." Reno said, hanging back while Tifa ran ahead. "I'll be there soon."

Tifa stopped running and turned to face him. A particularly evil thought came to mind and she ran back over to Reno.

"Wow, wow, wow, babe, I am so sorr--" Reno said, but his apology was cut short when Tifa grabbed him by the collar of the shirt and threw him forward, landing almost right outside of the now mangled doorway.

Reno groaned and cursed.

* * *

"Cloud, are we there yet?" Cait asked.

"No Cait." Cloud said, glancing at him. "Not yet."

"Oh."

A silence stretched between them before Cait spoke again.

"Cloud, are we there _yet_?" He asked again.

Cloud mentally groaned. "No Cait." He ground out, tired of walking through the building and seemingly heading nowhere. "Not yet."

"Mmmm..." Cait said.

Silence.

"Cloud--"

"NO." Cloud said forcefully, very much intending to get the message across to Cait. "Not yet."

"Well, that's not what I was going to ask first but thanks anyway. I was going to ask when you think Vincent or Yuffie will spill the beans to the other about their feelings."

Cloud stumbled a bit before correcting himself. "Cait, get real. Yuffie and Vincent? Not a chance..." Cloud said, oblivious yet again to the truth.

"What do you mean! It's so obvious, we all see it..."

"No Cait." Cloud shook his head. "We don't."

Cait shook his head and resumed walking.

"Stupid..."

"WHAT?"

"Yea, you heard me chocobo."

"Hey!"

"Man, you can't see Yuffie and Vincent's feelings for eachother? What about Aerith and Sephiroth?" Cait asked.

"Cait, Aerith would never let Sephiroth near her." Cloud shook his head in denial.

Cait called him on it. "You're just in denial."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

Cloud stopped walking and faced his friend. "Let's make a bet."

"Fine, let's make a bet."

"If Aerith and Sephiroth get together and if Yuffie and Vincent get together then..."

Cait bounced around. "If that happens then you owe me 200,000 gil."

"200,000 gil? Same way around?" Cloud said, weighing his options. He was _not_ going to lose.

Cait nodded. "Alright, you gotta deal." Cloud said shaking Cait's paw.

"You're still beyond stupid." Cait said.

"No, I'm no--" Cloud said but stopped when he heard a distant roaring and the shake of the walls around him.

"That can't be good." Cloud said, immediately concerned for his other comrades. Tifa and Reno -- what if they'd run into trouble. "Let's go, Cait."

They continued on hurriedly, not saying a thing to the other.

* * *

Reno and Tifa had been searching for well over an hour now. They hadn't turned anything up yet.

"Reno, this is useless." Tifa said, throwing one book behind her, only to grab some of the notes on the table.

When they had walked into the room, the whole lab was intact. Tables, shelves, medicines, antidotes, liquids and solids they didn't want to hear the name of and other things. Books lay scattered and notes lay crumpled true, but it seemed that Sephiroth was right about Hojo -- he must've known something were to happen and had made sure all of his discoveries and experiments were not lost.

He must have been expecting to come back alive. Vincent and Yuffie had made sure that he wouldn't.

"I know, babe. I know." Reno drawled, flipping through a book.

Tifa walked over to the other side of the room where a door was visible but she couldn't find a way to open it.

"Hey, Reno, maybe something is in here?" Tifa asked. He nodded. "Help me find the switch to open it..."

Tifa and Reno set out to find the switch. They looked underneath books on shelves, the walls around them... Eventually, they looked underneath the counter and found that there were actual wheels underneath it, though extremely hidden. They managed to push the counter over and they found a moveable tile.

"Hmm..." Reno said, inspecting it. "Can't say if this is gonna be a good or bad thing."

"Just do it." Tifa said. "We may find what we're looking for."

Reno nodded and lifted the tile up to see the button they had expected to be there. He pushed it and watched as the door across from them slid open, revealing more books on shelves. The shelvesseemed to be full of a lot less booksthen the rest, but it was obvious enough that Hojo wanted it kept hidden and safe.

The two walked inside the door and saw that, aside from there being shelves in front of them filled with books and notes, there was a separate pathway leading down into the ground.

"Wow... You think he did this himself?" Tifa asked, following Reno down.

"Dunno babe." He answered. "Don't think anyone else knew about it or if they did, they're probably long gone."

Tifa fell quiet as they went deeper. They came to an abrupt halt and found themselves facing another door. "Another one?" Tifa asked, groaning. "How far does it go?"

Reno shrugged and pushed the door open. What met him made their blood freeze.

They couldn't make anything else out aside from the inches long teeth and an extremely huge figure. It's breath came out in short, shallow rasps but it looked to be asleep. It's eyes were closed.

Reno stepped back, pushing Tifa out. Unfortunately, Tifa chose this time to trip over a book on the floor. She fell to the ground letting out a painful hiss as her tailbone flared with pain.

Reno turned to grab her arm but stopped short when the monsters eyes opened and fell upon them. The yellow eyes with black slitsfor pupils narrowed and began to stand to it's full height.

"Holy shit..." Reno breathed. "What the &$$ is it doing down here..."

"What do you mean, 'it'? You've seen it before?" Tifa asked, backing up, for once completely scared and doubting their abilities.

"Hojo liked to talk... We figured that's all it was but he said he'd prove us $&$$& wrong..."

Tifa looked into the monsters eyes as it followed them slowly, waiting to strike.

"My god, what are we going to do...?" Tifa asked.

Reno shook his head. For once, he didn't have any smart comment or any kind of plan.

All he knew was that they needed to run. Fast.

* * *


	22. Reappearances

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 22 - Reappearances_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

"I uh... Think this is..." Tifa stuttered, standing up. Reno started walking backwards, pushing her back.

"Loss for words?" Reno grinned. "Hojo liked to boast about this thing. Said it was $&$ powerful."

"You make me feel so much better, as usual." Tifa snapped sarcastically.

"Chill out babe." Reno said, feeling the stairs at the back of his heels. His mind started to try and devise a strategy. It was way too big to fit up the stairway but he was sure it wouldn't have any problem in destroying the wall. He looked around. He really had no idea what it was weak against... at all. In fact, he didn't know anything about it save for it's immense power. At least, that's what Hojo had said.

Well. "Yes, well..." Reno mumbled. They needed to get out of this cramped space and into an open area. Having Cloud and Cait around wouldn't be too bad either.

"Reno..." Tifa said. Reno threw her a glance over his shoulder to let her know he was listening.

"Shouldn't we be trying to do something...? Do you even know what this thing can do?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Not a clue."

"What?" She cried.

The monster let out a feral growl and fell into a pouncing position. It couldn't move any further towards them so Reno guessed it was going to smash the wall.

"RUN!" He yelled, turning around and pushing her forward.

They hadn't gotten very far when the monster had rammed it's body into the wall, once... twice... three times. On it's fourth try it flew forward a little because there was little of the wall left.

Tifa screamed as she fell forward and Reno tripped over her.

"#$&!" Reno swore.

They both hastily got to their feet and began to run again, but the monster was very determined to get to them.

"Oh my god!" Tifa screamed, as the ceiling began to collapse around them.

"#$&!" She heard Reno exclaim from behind her. "Keep running, don't stop. If it caves in then..." Then what? They were damn strong, but they couldn't handle tons of concrete landing on top of them. "Throw yourself against a standing wall."

"What is that going to do?" She said, narrowly missing a rather large chunk of concrete.

"Trust me." Reno yelled back, looking over his shoulder. It was still after them but it was still trying to break down the stairway wall.

They had gotten out of Hojo's labs now but they needed to find another pathway out of the building. They couldn't use the one they had come here from as it was blocked off by rocks.

"Dammit." Tifa said in a drawled voice, panic laced throughout.

"Hey." Reno snapped at her. "We ain't done yet. I ain't a $&$& Turk if I let you $& die so don't start losin' it now."

Tifa watched him sadly but nodded and he saw a bit of determination spark in her eyes. Reno nodded. "Now, babe." He said, looking around. "Which way should we go?"

Tifa looked both left and right, trying to decide. "I don't know..."

Reno stood thinking, trying to ignore the fact that a huge monstrosity was after them but that was short lived when he turned and saw it free of the walls and running straight for them.

He chose the path with the more fresh air and decided to go on instinct.

"Left!" Reno yelled to her, urging her forward.

They ran, to where they didn't know. The only hoped they'd find a way out or meet up with their comrades.

* * *

Cloud looked up at the ceiling as it started to cave slightly. Smaller rocks and dust were falling and he'd heard -- and felt -- the load roar and the jerk of the building. Cait was looking around anxiously and walking close to Cloud's leg.

"This can't be good..." He said lightly.

"No, it can't." Cloud answered him. He started a bit when Cait jumped on his shoulder and moved closer to his head. He rolled his eyes before walking on.

"If this thing caves, Cloud..." Cait said, looking at the walls. "We won't make it out alive..."

Cloud became a little annoyed at how pessimistic Cait was being but brushed it off. It wasn't worth it. Instead, he walked at a more brisk pace, hoping to run into Reno and Tifa.

* * *

"Cid!" Yuffie yelled, waving her arms at the landing Sierra. She smiled and ran over to the ship, Sephiroth following with less exuberance. "HI!" Yuffie screamed when they started walking down the ramp towards them.

"How'd it go brat?" Cid said, taking out a cigarette only to have it knocked out of his hands by Aerith. He looked at her, pouting, before he let it go.

"Awesome! All of Wutai is on our side, _knowing _about Sephiroth." She smiled happily. Cid watched her skeptically, knowing there had to be something more behind it. "And...?" He asked.

She got a confused look. "And what...?"

Cid shook his head. "Nothin'."

"What do you mean, Wutai is on our side?" Vincent asked.

Yuffie turned towards him. "Oh." She thought for a second. "I went around to every house in Wutai with Sephiroth and my gramma Nita. We explained Sephiroth's prescence and he explained a few things about the war and his place in it..." She trailed off. "They understand and they're willing to help us in any way whenever we need it!" She ended happily.

"Wutain War?" Rude queried. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I did some things I am hardly proud of back then." Sephiroth said, ending the discussion.

They stood in silence for a moment before Aerith spoke up. "I think we should get going." She turned and walked into the Sierra, not waiting for anyone else to follow her.

Sephiroth and Yuffie raised their eyebrows at everyone else and they shrugged. "Been kinda outta it since we got back." Barret supplied, not too sure of the answer himself.

Red moved in closer and spoke. "I think she is worried about something." He spoke quietly, like he didn't want anyone to hear. "I can't explain it, but I almost feel the same way." He said, shifting his eyes .

"What do you mean?" Yuffie chirped loudly.

Red shook his head. "I'm not sure."

"Maybe the Planet let her know something. She has gotten into the habit of keeping things from us lately." Vincent said.

"Not on purpose!" Yuffie scolded him. "She was worried about us! I wouldn't want to be the one to break that kind of news to you guys either, you know. And Aerith is like..." Yuffie motioned to them. "You know what I mean."

More silence filled the air.

"Nuff of this depressing talk--"

"You're right Cid!" Yuffie said, walking over to him and slapping him on the back. "Shouldn't you be expecting a _PHONE CALL_ anyday now?"

"Huh? What're you spouting off now, brat." Cid asked, taking out another cigarette now that Aerith was gone.

"I mean, do you ever phone HER?" Yuffie accused. "Huh? HUH?"

"#!" Cid cursed.

"You're gonna be FATHER CID soon." Yuffie said.

"She's right." Red said, looking up at Cid. Seeing his expression, he grinned lazily. "Don't tell me you forgot about dear Shera?"

Cid sputtered, turning red in the face before turning around. "Don't know what the &$ you're talking about!"

"Aha! So you DID! Poor Shera..." Yuffie said.

Cid turned around to give Yuffie a piece of his mind when the phone rang.

"See. I am legendary, I know. Please, please, you're embarrassing me." Yuffie said, sighing dramatically.

Cid mumbled something incoherent before picking up the phone. "Cid $&$ Highwind."

"CID!" Tifa shouted from the other end, sounding completely out of breath.

"Tifa?" He asked. "What the $& is goin' on?"

"Cid, please, get out here --" A scream was heard and a load roar filled Cid'sears. Something smashed.

"Tifa, shit, what the--"

"Reno, get off me you--"

"I told you to get against the wall, dammit!" Reno's voice could be heard.

"Shut up you... You're crushing me, you idiot!"

"I'm saving your ass here!" He yelled back.

Tifa sighed. "Cid, please, get out here. Get to the Shinra building! There's a huge monster. It's following us--"

"RUN, dammit."

"It came from the labs. We were split up and it's just the two of us! Please..."

"I'm on my #$&$$ way!" Cid said, hanging up the phone.

Yuffie looked scared. "What's wrong?"

Cid beckoned them towards the ship and he ran inside. "Tifa and Reno are in $& trouble. Some huge ass monster is out for 'em."

"Where's Cloud and Cait?" Red asked, running up beside him.

"They got split up, don't know the #&$& details."

He got to the controls and made a final announcement before taking off, "hold onto your $&$& drawers, this is gonna be one hell of a $ ride!"

* * *

"We're almost out!" Reno told Tifa, trying to get her to move faster. She had been hit in the shoulder by a piece of debris and the pain was hindering her pace.

"You aren't the one who was hit by falling concrete, you ass." She ground out.

Man she was cranky when she got hit.

"Whatever babe. I told you to get against the wall."

"I was BUSY! I was making a phone call that could mean the difference between our living or dying!" She yelled.

He snorted. "Can't you multi task?"

Tifa stopped running. "Don't make me use my limit on you, I'll kick you scrawny butt from here to..."

"Hey, hey." Reno said, stopping as well. "If you have to use a limit on anyone, use it on that thing!" He said, pointing to the monster who was now extremely close to them.

Tifa nodded. "Great idea!" She turned around to face the monster.

"Wow, wow, WOW!" He said, grabbing her arm. "I meant, after we get outta here!"

Tifa spared him a glance before retrieving her elbow from him and falling into her battle stance. Reno started to panic.

"H-hey! Don't do anythin--" Tifa ran forward. "rash...?"

She executed a powerful few punches before somersaulting in the air, kicking the monster. It howled in pain but bared it's teeth, trying to scare her off. Tifa would have none of that. She kicked the monster and it was sent backwards a little bit, dazed. With amazing new found strength, she picked the monstrosity up off the ground before slamming it into the concrete below them. A swift uppercut was all that was needed to knock it off it's feet. It tried to rush at her but she managed to hold it at bay for a moment with her hands before picking it up and jumping into the air. It's weight pulled her down a little but she pulled off the move successfully, watching as the fiend hit the ground with a deafening crack. Landing ninja style, she immediately stood, pulling back her fist. Running at her full speed, she flew forward, slamming her fist into the monster creating a giant blast. She flipped backwards, away from the monster to land beside Reno.

He didn't know what else to do so he simply gawked at her.

"What the, how did you --" Reno sputtered.

Tifa gave a half hearted shrug. "That should take care of it for a while." She grinned at him, flexing her shoulder muscles. "I feel much better now." She took off at a run and Reno held back a little bit before following.

They ran and they ran, trying to find any possible exit. They were finally coming to a fork in the hall when Tifa collided with someone coming from the opposite direction. Reno tripped and fell into a wall.

"Why... WHY do I keep DOING that? &$$&&&! Where's the $&$ beer when I need it!" Reno swore.

Tifa untangled herself from her victim and put a hand to her head. "Oh man..." She groaned. She got a groan in response. Her eyes snapped open. She didn't need to see anything else but the spiky blonde hair. "Cloud!"

He looked up at her slowly. "Tifa...?"

Tifa lunged at him, wrapping her arms around him. "Are you okay? You're not hurt are you? I'm so sorry!"

Cloud waved it off. "S'ok. But what's going on? Why were you running so fast?"

Tifa stood up quickly, pulling Cloud up with her. "We need to get out of here!" She said, tugging him along.

"Why?"

She looked back at Reno who was still sitting against the wall, sulking. She looked around for a sign of Cait but found nothing.

"Hey... Where's Cait Sith?" She asked.

Cloud looked around, finally noticing his companion missing. "I don't know..."

A small whimper came from not too far away. Tifa went to move but Reno stopped her. "Tell him what's going on... I'll look for that damn cat."

Tifa nodded and started explaining. "We found Hojo's lab but we didn't actually find anything there. We stumbled across a secret passage and dared to go down." She sighed. "There were a few books in there and we assumed it was important but didn't look. We went further down the passage and found this huge fiend staring back at us."

Cloud looked shocked. "Well, where is it now?"

"Your girlfriend kicked it's ass, yo."

Cloud looked to Tifa questioningly. She nodded.

"I was about to use my limit break on Reno but..." She shrugged smirking. "He had another idea. It's back there, but I think I managed to knock it out." She said. "For now."

"Then we'd better get out of here."

They all nodded and Reno picked Cait Sith out from under a piece of rubble. "You still alive? Damn."

* * *

Sephiroth had wandered the ship, searching for his petite comrade.

_Why?_

He had no idea. All he knew was that there was a nagging feeling in the back of his head. A nagging feeling to make sure she was alright. Her safety and well being had taken quite the priority with him, he noticed.

It was hard though. Everytime he saw her, he felt a wave of guilt and wished to be anywhere but near her. He still saw flashes of Nibelheim, crucial points of his previous journey with 'mother'... None had he seen so vividly as the time he had killed her.

He just couldn't understand how she could forgive him so easily. She had had things in her last life. A possible direction of love, great friends, a connection to the Planet. Sure, she had those things now... But her friends and even he noticed she wasn't like she used to be. Shrouded in darkness, she kept things to herself. Someone so innocent like her, shouldn't have had to go through the things she did... The things that she would.

What of himself? Would he have an unexpected relapse of insanity? Tifa, Cid and Yuffie had befriended him, much to his unexplained liking. What if he hurt them in some way?

He continued walking down the hallway at a slow pace, letting the dark thoughts take hold of him for a moment. Further... Further... Where his steps were taking him, he didn't know.

He was about to walk out the door to the railing of the ship when he heard someone singing. He stood and listened to the quiet melody, letting it lull him. He leaned on the doorway and watched as Aerith let herself be lost in the world of music, cleansing her thoughts... His thoughts.

A sudden jerk of the ship caught him off guard.

* * *

"$&#$." Cid cursed, looking out of the window in front of him. He could just see his friends standing outside of the Shinra building, appearing out of breath and strained. He watched as the ground beneath them shook and they turned their heads, shocked, towards the aforementioned building.

"Hey, you $$&$! Stop running!" He yelled through his intercom systemwhen they started to depart at a fast pace from the building. Tifa looked up and saw the Sierra. She held her arm out to stop Cloud from running past her and she pointed to the ship that was now just above them.

"What's going on?" Yuffie said, running into the room with Vincent.

"Found em." Cid answered, motioning his head toward the window.

Yuffie ran over and glimpsed outside, immediately noticing something was wrong. She voiced her thoughts. "Cid... Something's wrong..."

Vincent walked over. Yuffie looked up at him. "Look at Teef's face..." Vincent nodded in response.

"What do ya mean, somthing's wrong." Cid snapped. "They look perfectly #&$ fine to..." Cid trailed off, gaping at something before him. Yuffie squealed in horror and Vincent, as usual, stood there not giving any indication of what he was feeling.

A huge monster had just broken through the top of the Shinra building, being the one thing to finally destroy the building once and for all. The rubble on top of it was paid no heed as it began to soar upwards. Tifa and Reno were staring with their eyes nearly out of their sockets.

"It can fly?" Yuffie screamed. "Cid, do something!" She urged.

"I can't $& fly that &$$ fast!" He yelled back at her, trying to do multiple things at a time. "$&$! Hang on $# tight!"

Vincent pulled Yuffie away from the window just in time to save them from the flying shards of glass that sprayed through the air when the monster collided with the side of the ship.

"Oh my god!" Yuffie yelled.

"Damn, $&$ fiend! $! $&$&$&!" He cursed, furious at the possible damage inflicted upon his baby.

"It's a damn ship, you moron!" Yuffie yelled, aggravated.

"Now is not the time to quarrel amongst yourselves." Vincent said, earning a glare from Yuffie. "Steer the ship as best you can and try not to get too far away. Yuffie, let's go."

Yuffie huffed, crossing her arms. "Fine, Mr. I-know-everything."

Vincent sent her a glance before jumping out of the window and onto the top of the ship.

Yuffie grinned and walked over. "Show off..." She mumbled. "See ya, old fart!" She said, waving at Cid before following after Vincent.

* * *

The Sierra jerked to the side and Aerith went flying forward-- right into the railing. Shegroaned when her stomach made a sharp impact with the railing. Amazingly she managed to stop herself from flipping right over and she began to move away but something she saw made her freeze on the spot.

Toyori was soaring up towards her, knife in hand, grinning like a total madman. Aerith forced herself backwards, trying to stay on her feet but the Sierra was jerking around too much. She fell to her feet and looked up to find Toyori stood directly above her.

"Well, well..." Toyori smirked, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her roughly to her feet. At the sight of Sephiroth righting himself he pulled her back towards his chest and took out a sharp blade, holding it to her throat. Sephiroth's eyes hardened when he saw this and he began to step closer.

"No, no, no..." Toyori said, pressing the blade to her throat. "I wouldn't advise that."

Sephiroth stopped moving forward and watched him with eerie eyes.

"You realize, this is the end for you and your little... party." He sneered.

Sephiroth scoffed.

"Think it's... funny...?" Toyori said, moving the blade across her throat only slightly, but still drawing the tiniest amount of blood. Aerith whimpered slightly in his grasp. He gained the reaction that he had been aiming for from Sephiroth.

"I suggest you step away from the girl." He said coldly. "Or I can guarantee you this will be where you fall."

"You're in no position to make threats, dear general."

He looked behind him at Sephiroth's comrades, trying to fight off the flying beast. "Quite a fun little toy, isn't it?" He said, motioning towards the fiend. "I can say this; it was unexpected but definitely a grand addition to this little visit."

His eyes glowed a brilliant blue for a second before returning back to their original colour. Sephiroth looked in confusion for a second before someone appeared in front of him.

Reno ran forward, his nightstick upraised before he stopped and looked around him. "Where'd it go..."

Toyori chuckled. "I brought you here, because I thought you might like to... collect something of yours." He said, an odd gleam in his eye.

Reno's gaze turned murderous at the sight of Toyori.

Toyori smirked and his eyes glowed again, but this time, someone unexpected showed up, slumped on the floor in front of them.

A small blonde haired woman, long gone from the world of the living, lay before them.

* * *


	23. Race

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 23 - Race_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Reno stood gaping at the sight in front of him for a few moments before his senses came back to him. Disregarding the fact that a potentially destructive man stood before him, he ran forward and fell to his knees beside his blonde comrade. With a shaking hand, he turned her over onto her back.

"Elena...?"

She rolled over limply at Reno's touch, her dark and blank eyes staring straight through him. She was shaking constantly and her breaths were coming out in shallow gasps. Her skin had turned a sickly green colour he noticed, and he himself began to shake, only he with anger.

"What did you do to her?" Reno's eyes flew up to Toyori's face in nothing but pure rage.

"Elena?" Aerith whimpered. "You infused her." She breathed. "How much?"

Toyori chuckled and jumped onto the railing. "Quick to catch on, aren't you dear?"

"Sephiroth." Aerith said, looking at Elena desperately. "Only half, nothing more... Reno... She'll be fine. Don't worry, alright?"

Reno didn't seem to want to listen. He stood, pushing Elena over to Sephiroth and away from Toyori. Within a split second he was charging at Toyori, letting out an enraged cry. His mag rod out and moving down fast to make an electrifying impact with the side of Toyori's face only just missed him. Toyori ducked and jumped off the railing.

Aerith let out a shriek and shut her eyes, expecting to fall a few hundred feet, but instead felt herself being pulled more securely against Toyori. She opened one eye and saw the airship at the same height as her, not too far away from where she was currently... floating? Looking down she gasped and shut her eyes again.

_'Don't do that again!'_ She thought, squirming in vain.

A hot breath against the skin of her neck made her stop moving, in both fear and disgust. Her skin was crawling and she ery much wished that the man behind her would just let her fall, if only to be somewhere far away from him.

"Oh, would you rather be closer to the ground?" He whispered. Aerith didn't answer and he chuckled. She felt the blade against her neck slide away from her and felt him move around behind her. More than likely putting the blade wherever he had gotten it from.

She did not expect what came next.

Taking hold of her wrist, he pulled her away from his form and dangled her at arm's length. She shrieked again and heard scuffling from in front of her and opened her tearing eyes.

She listened to his sickeningly sincere laughter. "My, my... Aren't you the protective one?"

Aerith watched as Sephiroth's only answer was the darkening of his eyes. Standing on the railing of the Sierra with perfect balance, he washolding the Masamune to Toyori's throat.

"Weren't you the one who killed this beautiful maiden." He sneered. "I can't see why. She looks absolutely..."

"Forgive me if I choose not to relay the events of the past to you." Sephiroth spoke with a chilling voice that even Aerith began to get slightly scared. To what lengths was he willing to go?

Toyori smirked. "Divine. She is, is she not? As much as I would love to revel in her prescence..." He trailed off. "She is no use to us alive."

"Us?" Reno questioned.

"Hmm. Did you think that only I wished to cause this much trouble?" He laughed. "Oh no. And I can assure you, should you ever get the chance to meet one of the others..." He shook his head. "Such things are just not important." He said grinning.

"It was nice knowing you, sweet." He said, bringing Aerith back to his chest. He kissed her along her neck, regardless of the fact that she tried to pull away. He laughed at how Sephiroth's rage began to fly out of control.

With one last sadistic laugh, Toyori let Aerith fall.

* * *

Yuffie, Vincent and Red slammed into the ship at the same time, their impact throwing the ship back a little bit.

"What the $&$ is goin' on out there?" Cid yelled.

Vincent stood slowly, feeling Chaos beginning to take control. He cast a glance at Yuffie who was absolutely fuming and Red who was having trouble staying on his feet. Yuffie ran forward and let her Shuriken go while using her limit break Clear Tranquil. A mist of cool air spun around them, ridding them of small bruises and scratches. His head cleared and Chaos retreated back into the recesses of his mind.

Red jumped off the ship and onto the monster, sinking his teeth into it's skin. It roared in surprise and pain, trying to throw the beast off. Yuffie jumped around, slashing it in various places. The skin, being too tough for Vincent's bullets to pierce, gave Vincent almost nothing to do. A thought came to mind when Yuffie managed to open up a large wound in it's neck though, and he aimed right for it. He shot off a round of bullets, perfectly aimed and they tore through the delicate flesh.

Cloud jumped up and brought his sword down on it's head. The monster, tired of the onslaught of attacks, began to lift itself higher into the air. Red and Yuffie were the only ones able to attack and it began to reach it's clawed arms out to grab them.

Red dodged easily, leaping from one arm to another and further still. Yuffie backflipped off it's claws and onto it's back, stabbing it with one of her shuriken's points and running, pulling the piece of metal enbedded in it's flesh with her. She brought it right out of the skin at it's head and jumped forward, heading for the ship.

Landing, she turned and watched as the fiend's claws began to glow.

"Jump, you $&!" They heard Cid yell. Barret finally began to let a hail of bullets go, his purpose to make the fiend stop it's attack but it was in vain.

All jumped save for Yuffie, who wouldn't have had enough time anyways and she braced herself for the attack. The fiend roared and light streamed from the claws, forming two balls of energy. It threw it's hands out one at a time and the energy spun around eachother, heading straight for Yuffie.

Yuffie shouted out in surprise when she felt a hand grab her arm and she fell into someone. They fell to the ship's surface and she saw Cloud move himself over her, shielding her from the attack. She felt something collide with the ship almost right beside them and they were thrown off.

"Are you alright?" Cloud asked her, looking down at the ground.

"Yeah, thanks to you. Thanks." She said.

Cloud shook his head and they fell for a bit until Cloud landed on the ground. He let Yuffie go and she gave her thanks once again before turning to the monster and the ship.

"Damn, Cid was in there!" She said, panicking. "What if something happened to him? Reno and Sephiroth are there too! And Aerith!" She shrieked.

Red walked over to her and nuzzled her leg before sitting down. "I'm sure they're alright, Yuffie. Reno won't die that easily and Cid has a child to go back to. Sephiroth wouldn't let anything happen to Aerith."

"He better not have." Cloud said.

"Cloud!"

Cloud turned and caught Tifa as she ran over to him. "Are you alright?" She asked, pulling away from him.

He nodded and looked back at the ship. "I'll bet Cid's having a great time up there."

* * *

"$&$!" Cid swore, picking himself up from the ground. "#&&&! & monster!"

He moved himself over to the controls and tried to steady the ship as best he could. "I'm goin to $$&$ smoke ya, you $&$&!" He yelled, completely enraged.

He pulled the ship away from the fiend and tried to bring up the camera's view of different places on the ship. "$&..."

He shook his fist at the window. "You ruined my #$&$& ship!"

He pushed a large button in a panel in the control desk. _'Emergency Somethin'' _"Shoulda thought of a $&$& better name. That's gonna sound $& peachy. I destroyed this #&&$ hunk a flesh with the Emergency Somethin'. #$&!" He said, getting angrier by the second.

* * *

"Look!" Yuffie yelled, pointing at the ship.

Everyone looked skywards and watched as two huge cannon's separated themselves from the ship, hidden by panels on the side. They set themselves up, moving forward and already having a bright light sitting on the outer rim of the cannon.

"I always thought there was something different with this ship." Tifa said in awe.

The light began to grow dimmer but managed to fill a larger capacity of the opening.

* * *

"$&$& GO!" Cid yelled, pushing the button behind the one he'd pushed previously.

* * *

Rude covered his eyes as the light began to shine blindingly. A huge explosion was heard as the cannon's fired whatever it was that Cid has managed to build into it.

An ear splitting roar made Avalanche decide to watch despite how bright it was.

The fiend was falling to the ground, but it was giving itself pushes toward the left of Midgar. It's charred wings were pounding but only one seemed to manage to get it anywhere. It's skin was falling off in various places and it's eyes were completely blacked out.

"No!" Yuffie shrieked, freaking out. "It's going for Kalm!"

Evveryoe gasped at this. Indeed, Yuffie was right.

"Elmyra..." Barret whispered, watching as he was unable to do anything else.

"Barret..." Tifa said, looking at him with tears in her eyes. How horrible... To be able to do nothing for both Myrna, his first wife and now nothing for the first person in a long time who was able to get under his defensive barriers.

Vincent walked over to Yuffie and put his hand on Yuffie's shoulder. She turned around with tears trailing down her face and she moved forward, clinging to him. Weeping, she fell to the ground and Vincent went with her.

Cloud looked around at his comrades. This couldn't be happening...

The all stood and watched, crying and silent, as the monster let out one last pitiful roar, before falling onto the town now below it, crushing it.

* * *

Reno watched in horror as Toyori let Aerith fall and as she let out a terrified scream. Toyori laughed and watched as Aerith fell to her apparentdeath.

Sephiroth had different ideas, it seemed. The moment Toyori had released his grip on her wrist, Sephiroth had jumped forward and impaled Toyori with the Masamune. He hadn't even bothered to retract it from Toyori's flesh but instead jumped off the railing and down after Aerith.

Reno didn't know what had happened after Sephiroth had jumped. He only hoped beyond reasoning that they were both alive. That they were both okay. Something inside him told him not to worry about that; Sephiroth wouldn't have jumped unless he'd known he could do something, right?

Or were his feelings for Aerith enough to cloud his judgement?

He'd watched as Toyori pulled the Masamune out of his stomach and thrown it with unbelievable force down after Sephiroth. Reno crawled over to Elena, determined to get to Cid or off the ship when Toyori disappeared. Moments later, he and Elena were thrown backwards and through the door of the balcony into the ship by an unbelievably strong impact on the ship.

He hadn't moved from his spot on the ground since, not sure of whether or not they'd be thrown from their feet again or not.

Elena's head moved slightly and he looked at her closely.

"'Lena?"

Elena's head simply lolled to the side. Reno's entire being was filled with that familiar tidal wave of worry and anger. Aerith had told him she would be alright, but he was beginning to doubt that now. Those who'd been infused with Mako were still supposed to show some sign of life. Elena simply wasn't doing anything. He'd never seen this before.

"Dammit." He whispered. He looked around and decided that he needed to move and get off of this ship. Carefully picking Elena up of the floor, he began to move at an unusually slow pace.

He leg had been bent the wrong way and he was sure there was something wrong with it. He was limping now, ever so slowly.

After a little while of limping his way down the hallway, he heard a swearing pilot come up the hallway beside him. He turned, spirits high,to see Cid walking up to him at a brisk pace. Cid's face went slack at Elena.

"What the $&. What the $&$ happened to her?" Cid asked. "Where are Aerith and Sephiroth?"

Reno gave him a forlorned glance. "Aerith and Sephiroth are... Well, I don't know. They fell off the ship."

"Fell off the ship?"

"Well, actually, Toyori was there." Reno said. "He had Aerith with a knife to her throat. He eventually, after riling Sephiroth up, let her fall. Sephiroth jumped after her."

"Where'd Elena come from?" Cid asked.

"Toyori brought her back." He said, looking down at her. "Sick #$& infused her."

Cid sighed and motioned Reno along, back down the hallway he'd just come up. "Let's go. The others are waitin'."

* * *

Yuffie ran up to Cid and hugged the life out of him, crying and mumbling her thanks to Da Chao and Leviathan. She was so glad that he was alright! As was Reno.

Elena. They were all surprised at seeing her for sure. Rude was immediately concerned and he and Reno talked in hushed whispers about what to do with her.

"Wait a minute." Yuffie said, halting allconversations around her. "Whereare Aerith and Sephiroth?"

Cid and Reno looked away at the question.

Yuffie pressed on, hysterical with the idea of Sephiroth and Aerith being gone as well as Elmyra. "Where are they! What happened up there?"

"Toyori was there. He brought Elena back and then grabbed Aerith."

Tifa gasped. "What did he do? Was she alright?"

Reno shook his head. "He was holding a blade to her throat. He started taunting Sephiroth about beging over protective and cut her throat a little. He let Aerith fall and Sephiroth jumped after her, but not before stabbing that son of a bitch."

Cloud gaped at him. "You can't be serious!"

"Do you know what happened to Aerith and Sephiroth?" Vincent asked. "I don't believe we saw them fall."

Reno shook his head. "No idea. The ship was hit by something huge and Elena and I were thrown back." He sighed. "That's all I know."

Everyone looked down.

"Elena can be cured, right?" Cait Sith asked, walking up to jump on Elena's stomach.

"Aerith said she'd be alright... But Aerith is gone." Reno said.

"Don't say that." Yuffie yelled at Reno. "She isn't gone! You don't know that!"

"Yuffie..."

Yuffie looked at Barret. "Barret, come on. Let's go to Kalm. We'll search for survivors, alright?" She said, teary eyed.

Barret nodded silently and Avalanche watched as they walked off into the sunset. The perfect picture of destruction.

* * *


	24. A Hold on Time

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 24 - A Hold on Time_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7, its characters or settings and the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Sephiroth's thoughts had disappeared the moment he saw Toyori's grip on Aerith's wrist slacken. Rational thinking and tactics were forgotten as he lunged forward and, with highly trained and calculated ease, impaled Toyori with his Masamune, rendering him useless for the time being and giving Reno and chance to escape. He let himself fall then and looked down to see Aerith falling farther and farther, becoming closer and closer to the ground beneath her.

He knew Toyori was seething inside andcould only hope Reno had managed to get both himself and Elena out of harms way.

The free fall lasted a moment or two before he snapped his head around and focused his attention on the ship behind him for a second, as an intense shockwave hit his body and pounded in his ears. He saw Cloud and Yuffie fall towards the ground and the fiend fly away from the ship. Deciding that they had things under control, for the time being anyway, Sephiroth refocused and called to his inner strengths.

His Jenova cells. His powers that he'd kept hidden, that he'd practiced and refined without anybody knowing. Both his father, Hojo, and his 'mother', Jenova had had no idea what he'd been doing for so many years.

Calling down to the deep recesses of his body, he willed himself to fall faster. He felt himself speed up by only a bit and opened his eyes. He could see Aerith's face more clearly now and saw the tears escaping her eyes. This only encouraged him to fall further and, with his powers reinforcing the urge, he fell faster and faster until he had almost caught up with her.

Aerith's eyes opened and immediately found their way to him. She gave him an apologetic look but Sephiroth paid it no heed; all that mattered was getting to the ground in one piece. They were so close too...

Aerith held her arms out and managed to clasp them around his neck when he'd reached her. She tightened her hold on him as they continued to fall and let out the sob she had been holding in.

Sephiroth felt her tears on his cheeks and a wave of relief washed through him.

Aerith opened her eyes and gasped. "Sephiroth...!"

A sharp and wholly consuming pain started at his shoulder and moved down the front of his body in a fiery rage. He faintly felt newfound tears against his cheek but looked past Aerith.

There, lodged halfway through his left shoulder, was his sword. Had Aerith moved over any closer, it would have hit her as well.

He was beyond glad that there was only a small amount of space between them and the ground.

Aerith suddenly let out a shriek and pushed herself backwards and Sephiroth almost lost his grip on her. Using her as momentum, he swung himself around to look behind him. There he found the obvious cause of Aerith's distress; Toyori was falling towards them faster then Sephiroth could move.

His mind worked to devise some sort of plan, but he was already feeling his warm blood seep down his shoulder and a slight amount of dizziness was overtaking him. He shifted Aerith in his arms so that he was holding her bridal style and when Toyori came close enough to hit them, he executed a flawless backflip, kicking Toyori under the chin in the process, causing him to let go of his weapon. Sephiroth grabbed it before it could hit either he or Aerith and threw it back at Toyori. It lodged itself in Toyori's leg and Toyori's focus then became his leg.

Sephiroth landed on the ground beneath them and jumped backwards, away from Toyori. He let go of Aerith, almost clumsily, and fell onto one knee. He moved his arm around behind him and took as good a hold on the Masamune as he could and pulled.

It came out of him soundlessly and he gasped at the sudden rush of pain. He'd never felt this much before in his life.

"Sephiroth?" Aerith moved closer to him and inspected the wound. "It's not that bad..." She said, shaking. She put her hands over the wound and closed her eyes, slowly beginning to heal the wound.

Sephiroth looked up at Toyori, whose leg was now fixed and looking to be in perfect condition. He narrowed his eyes.

This would end _now_.

* * *

The trip to Kalm had been a quick and tireless one. Plunging onward, Yuffie and Barret made it there in complete silence. They hardly noticed the rest of their team save for Tifa and Vincent following them just as silently. Cid had left the airship behind as there was nothing he could do for it at the moment, nor did he want to.

Yuffie set out to check all of the houses while Barret removed debris and rubble from the roads in hopes of uncovering a buried person. He found several, few alive and most deceased and he carefullyplaced the bodies on the side of the road until they had time to perform a proper burial. His comrades helped those they found that were alive.

"Barret! Barret!" Yuffie yelled, coming out of the house, tears shining brilliantly on her face. Behind her came a roughed up Marlene being led by an unhurt Elmyra.

Barret's eyed widened in surprise. "Ell?" He whispered in shock. "You're alright..."

They walked over closer and Barret inspected her himself before letting himself feel any kind of relief. Marlene had immediately gone to Cloud, who picked her up and began to look over her. Elmyra gave Barret a smile and fell into his arms. He hugged her with a force, but Yuffie noticed the slight lax in his arms. He didn't want to hurt her, even though she came out of her house unscathed. Marlene squirmed in Cloud's hold and he set her down on the ground. She went over to Elmyra and Barret and they both included her in the embrace.

"I checked the other houses..." Yuffie said, trailing off. "There are no survivors other then those we have here so far. I'm going to check the bar. Cid, can you check the shops?" She walked off in the direction of the bar and Cid, though reluctantly, walked off in the direction of the shops. The fiend had fallen almost directly onto the shops above; the chance of finding any survivors were slim to none. Cid said nothing though, as Yuffie was still upset about Aerith's sudden disappearance.

Rude followed quickly after him.

"Damn." Cloud said, looking down at Red. "Yuffs is really upset."

Red nodded. "Yes, she would be."

"What do you mean?" Cait Sith asked, joining into the conversation.

Red sighed and sat on his haunches. "She thinks of Aerith as a big sister, but also as a mother figure, though I doubt she would ever admit that." He looked both Cloud and Cait in the eyes. "She lost her mother at a young age -- Aerith was the only one who was even remotely kind to her in the beginning. They formed a strong bond. That's why Yuffie broke down after Aerith had died at the altar."

Cloud nodded. "Makes sense."

Cait Sith snorted. "Sure it does..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cloud asked defensively.

"Nothing gets through to you, Cloud." Cait said matter-of-factly. "You're losing that bet as we speak because of your _stupidity_."

"You know," Cloud spoke suspiciously. "For a stuffed animal, you sure got a lot of nerve."

Red walked away before he could hear Cait's response. He sighed at their bickering -- that's all that Cait and Cloud ever did. Bicker.

He walked slowly towards the bar that Yuffie was at and entered noiselessly. He heard a slight sob and moved out of the room just as slowly andsilently that he'd come in. He sat at the entrance and watched as Yuffie began to openly cry.

"Mama... Leviathan, Da Chao... What do I do?" She whispered to the air, looking up. "Everything's... Wrong. Aerith, Vincent..." She paused. "Cid."

Red perked up and listened closely at the mention of Cid.

"He's got a new baby on the way, Mama. He's more of a father to me then that damned Godo." She spoke roughly and punctuated her speech with a swift kick to a piece of metal when she spoke of Godo. "But... What if he just... Forgets? What if the new baby takes up all his time."

She let the tears run freely and spoke more loudly and clearly.

"I'm scared. Scared of losing Aerith and Cid..." She let out a choked sob. "Of what I'm feeling for Vincent."

Red let his ears droop and he lowered himself to the floor, letting out a small whine. He knew better then to interfere with Yuffie at this moment. She was vulnerable and wouldn't appreciate his listening and cutting in. She kept things so bottled up sometimes, he mused.

And what of Cid? Obviously what she was getting at was Cid leaving her for the unborn child. She'd finally sound something that made sense. A father figure who made her feel accepted and loved. Did she really believe it would all be over with this new addition?

Red sighed and closed his eyes.

He sat there and listened to her cries and let his thoughts wonder.

This girl had gone through the worst kind of childhood and yet she was so cheerful and amusing. She put up such a believable barrier and such a facade.

A true warrior, she was. Brave and strong of heart, kind and full of complex morals and depictions.

But did she really have any reason not to hide herself from the world?

Did the world not owe her anything?

* * *

They had retraced every step, searched for every little clue possible and tried calling out but to no avail. Once again, Aerith and Sephiroth were missing. Tifa felt a pang of worry when they searched the airship and found both PHS' in their respective drawers. She sighed and closer her eyes, sinking to the floor.

"Do not give up hope." Vincent spoke out of nowhere and Tifa started slightly. "Sephiroth is not easy to kill. You and I both know." He said, standing beside her, arms crossed in front of him.

She sighed again. "I know, Vincent, but..."

"They are fine, Tifa." Vincent said.

"I believe you. In fact, I know they are alright." She said, smiling up at him. "I just have that tendency to worry... excessively."

He held his hand out for her and she took it, letting herself be pulled to her feet. They decided to leave and head for Kalm seeing as how they were getting nowhere and would probably stay like that despite anything they did. After walking in complete silence for the better part of their small journey, Tifa decided that she didn't want to hear the softly thudding footfalls of their feet any longer.

"So Vincent." She said, looking over at him. "Can I ask you something?"

Vincent nodded.

"What is going on with you and Yuffie?" She asked, keeping her eyes on him.

He shook his head. "What do you mean?"

Tifa smiled. Denial. The first sign that he liked her in some way. She giggled and he turned his eyes toward her. "Come on Vincent, I know you don't just tolerate Yuffie for no reason. I think you finally found someone to replace what you lost so long ago." She paused. "And I think you should go for it. What happened back then wasn't your fault and you don't deserve to suffer like you have."

Vincent walked on quietly, listening to her.

"She needs you. More then I think you realize."

This surprised him. He knew that Yuffie was not truly who she portrayed herself to be and she ad quite a few problems of her own that she had yet to work through, but something told him Tifa was getting at something else.

They had finally reached Kalm at her last comment and she and Vincent simply stood, looking at the damage.

"It may scare you, but life is about taking chances." Tifa said suddenly, avoiding his gaze. "I learned the hard way and you don't have to. Take that chance and don't let it slip away." She ended quietly, walking off into Kalm, leaving Vincent standing there contemplative and, for the first time in a long time, confused.

* * *

Reno had been holding Elena close to him the entire time they'd stayed in Kalm. Bodies were lain everywhere around them and survivors were being healed by his comrades. Tifa and Vincent had come back a while ago, saying that they'd found nothing of Sephiroth or Aerith. Tifa sent both himself and Elena a wistful look before walking off. Vincent had simply walked past, putting a hand on his shoulder for a moment.

Was there any hope left, then? Was there anything they could do for Elena or was it all over...

He told himself not to think that way and ended up surprising himself. Elena just wouldn't leave his mind. She was all he could think about. Her getting better, laughing, pulling pranks on him...

His hands tightened on her arm and leg. No, there was a way to save her. There had to be.

* * *

Aerith couldn't believe what was happening. Had her heart ever raced this fast before? She tried to stay calm and heal Sephiroth's wound but she was having a hard time with that. Something was coming.

"Sephiroth..." Aerith said, looking up. He gave no response, but simply stared at Toyori with absolute contempt. She looked back down at his wound; it was scabbing over now. She sighed in relief.

"I must say." Toyori said from behind her. She finished healing Sephiroth before turning slightly to look at him. "You are quite resilient, not to mention determined."

"What is it that you want from us?" Sephiroth asked.

Toyori smirked. "I need that White materia." He began to walk towards them and Sephiroth stood, pulling Aerith up with him. "We need to communicate with the Planet."

"Why?" Aerith asked rather sharply. "The Planet knows you've suffered, but why take it out on her? She never put you in your place."

Toyori laughed a little. "I never saw the Planet trying to help us."

"It has no power over those who enter the Lifestream alive."

"We were hardly... alive." Toyori sneered, anger beginning to creep into his features. "Hojo and Kiyoku'sexperiments left us in a state worse than death."

"Hojo? Kiyoku?" Aerith asked, confused. "What does he have to do with anything? And who is...?"

Toyori smiled and opened his mouth to say something when a voice rang out.

_"Enough, Toyori! Do not tell her any more."_

Toyori shrugged and looked behind Aerith and Sephiroth. "Decided to join us, have you?" Annoyance laced through his voice. "I can't see why; I have everything under control."

"Do you really?" A female voice entered the conversation and Aerith turned in the direction that it had been spoken.

A slender woman stood before them, with silvery-green eyes and dirty blonde hair that fell into a braid much like Aerith's, though it was shorter. She was shorter than Toyori by a little but nothing captured Aerith's attention more then the article around her neck. A shining star pendant lay on her chest, glowing, and wisps of smoke surrounded it. Faint whispers were emanating from it but Aerith couldn't tell what was being said.

At the appearance of the woman, the Planet immediately started screaming at her. A warning.

_Get away, get away!_

Aerith raised a hand to her head and flinched. "What...?"

_Do not let her come near you! Get Sephiroth away, get away!_

The woman chuckled lightly. "This should be fun."

* * *


	25. Of Star Pendants and Broken Minds

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 25 - Of Star Pendants and Broken Minds_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Yuffie had reluctantly left the privacy of the shop after Nanaki had come to inform her that Avalanche was having a meeting; she didn't give him any indication of her knowing about his eavesdropping on her private moment. She had tried to make the tears that had trailed down her face moments before unnoticeable but she caught a look from Tifa, Red and Cid. She ignored them and walked onward regardless, only wanting to discuss what to do next.

They all sat in a circle on the ground near the entrance to the small town and she sat down in between Cid and Tifa, coincidental she thought not, ready to decide on what to do. She noticed Cid sending her furtive looks, though she caught them. It annoyed her slightly, to think that nobody thought she could take care of herself but at the same time she was comforted knowing that they cared about her well being. She knew that she had no reason to think otherwise but it was there.

Tifa had also put her hand on Yuffie's knee and Yuffie spent quite some time just staring at it, somewhere off in space.

At a sudden squeeze on her arm, she looked up at Cid with a questioning look. He nodded to the group in front of them and she looked at them all in turn, taking in their appearance and state before asking,"what?"

Beside Cid was Barret, Elmyra and Marlene who were easily the happiest of the group. Reno sat next to them, still holding the lifeless Elena in his arms. She felt a pang of guilt in her chest; they could've gotten there sooner. They could've done something... She simply moved onward and looked at Rude and Vincent, who were emotionless beyond anything else although she didn't really expect much else. Cloud was sitting beside Tifa, Cait sleeping on his shoulder which came as no surprise. Red was laying out behind him and Tifa, listening intently. Cloud was looking at her expectantly and sympathetically.

"Who do you want to go with?" He asked.

"Go with where?" She asked, her voice sounding hollow.

Cloud looked as if to say something snappy but Tifa simply rubbed his arm and looked at him with pleading eyes and he relented. "We're going off in two's or three's to search for Aerith and Sephiroth or to warn the rest of the towns."

"Aerith? Sephiroth?" A frantic voice cut in and everyone's heads turned to Elmyra in shock. They'd completely forgotten that she hadn't known about her daughter!

"Aerith? Isn't that the pretty flower girl?" Marlene asked suddenly, glancing up at Elmyra before setting her eyes on Tifa.

"El, please. Just go back to the airship for now." He said, shifting uneasily.

"No, what are--"

"El." Barret said, his voice leaving no room for argument. "I'll explain everything when I get back there."

Elmyra gave him an accusing look. "You will indeed, Barret." Her face softened and she stood, getting ready to head off.

Everyone seemed to recover quickly after that.

"The sooner it's over, the better. The survivors,"Cloud continued, pointing behind him, "are coming with us for the time being until we can get them some accommodations."

Yuffie nodded. "Who's taken?" She smiled.

Cloud smiled back. Fake, but it was really all they had to spare. There was no joy in any of them. "Tifa, Cait, Red and I are going off to towns. Nobody else has decided on anything yet."

Yuffie nodded and slowly looked over the group. Tifa was out of the question, she thought to herself sullenly. God knows she needed to talk to someone. She didn't want to go with Vincent -- she was having mixed feelings and being around him would only make things worse, she concluded, but not without feeling the tiniest bit of guilt. There was nobody else, really, that she wanted to go with save for Cid but he probably wouldn't want to be around her anyways. She sighed and shook her head. "I don't know."

"I will accompany her." Vincent cut smoothly.

Yuffie's face contorted to both embarrassment and discomfort. "I don't..." At his piercing gaze she swallowed hard. "Uh... I just..."

"_I'll_ go with her." Cid's gruff voice came from beside her. She sighed with relief inside and gave Vincent a quick apologetic look. He shook it off and she could only dearly hope he understood. "We should get goin' now, though. Aerith and Sephiroth are waiting. Don't take too damn long if you need a ride somewhere."

Cloud nodded and Yuffie quickly stood, giving Cid the biggest smile he'd ever seen. Tifa smiled and winked at Cid, mouthing a 'thank you'. Cid nodded and walked away, Yuffie following quickly.

Tifa immediately dropped her gaze and fell into a depressive state. "Well..." She mumbled. "Yuffie should be alright now." She said, turning to look at Nanaki. "Thanks for telling us; I'm not sure she would have told us on her own."

Nanaki shook his head. "I only wish that Cid will keep his mouth closed and not tell Yuffie I know and that I let you all in on it. It was a private moment of hers."

Tifa looked up at Vincent. "Don't worry, I think she just needs some time alone right now."

Vincent merely nodded and looked to the side.

"Well," said Cloud. "You all know where to go and what to do." He turned and walked after Cid. "Let's go."

* * *

Sephiroth spared Aerith a fleeting glance when he saw her hand go up to hold her head. They were in between one extremely dangerous man and one potentially dangerous woman.

"This should be fun." He heard her say it and immediately put himself on guard, his hand going to the hilt of the Masamune. He waited and waited for a strike but nothing came. He looked over at the woman and saw she was still standing in the same place, hip cocked to the side. The only thing even remotely different was that her hand was stretched out in front of her. It came as a shock when a blue wisp of smoke managed to weave it's way over to them with an incredible speed and circle around Aerith; she was on the ground within the second, gasping for air and whimpering.

He crouched down beside her, taking his eyes off of his two adversaries for a second and grasped Aerith's arm, squeezing gently to get her attention. That however, proved to be fruitless. She merely fell back and tried to crawl backwards away from him. His grip on her tightened and he held her in place. "Aerith?" Tears filled her eyes and he knew he wouldn't be able to get a hold of her for the time being.

"Kayana... Don't you think that's going a little far?" Toyori asked, motioning towards Aerith. He flashed Sephiroth a quick grin when his eyes settled on him before moving walking over to Kayana, giving Sephiroth a certain advantage. At least they were no longer surrounded on both sides.

"What do you mean, 'too far'? Don't tell me you're feeling sympathetic towards that poor half-ling?" She responded coldly, never once relenting in her assault upon Aerith; whatever that even happened to be.

"Please." He said, finally reaching her. "Don't get jealous now."

"Jealous?"

"Indeed." He said, smiling at her.

"You aren't focusing very well are you? No wonder you couldn't do this on your own." She said and at that moment, another wisp of smoke reached out and encircled Sephiroth. He fell to the ground at the onslaught of powerful and painful memories. A voice was in his head; her voice. Kayana.

_'She used you. Everyone uses you...'_ A flash of Nibelheim burning, the smoke filling the air and the cries of the people he'd slaughtered mercilessly. He ripped a metal encasement from a tube that was visible behind it. Jenova...

Footsteps...? Someone was running.

Sephiroth realized in a flash what was happening and forced himself to raise himself up enough to draw the Masamune out and swing it in a deadly arc in front of him; a clattering sound from in front of him was heard and he knew that Toyori had tried to attack him. He tried to stand but the memories kept coming.

_'You'll hurt her again... That's what you're afraid of... Isn't that right?'_ Aerith fell to the floor of the altar and her eyes filled with tears. _'You'll hurt them all. All you became friends with.'_

Sephiroth let out a cry of rage and threw his Masamune to the ground, clawing and covering his head, trying to block out the pictures and the voices. _'But then, they never considered you their friend, anyway. They use you, nothing more.'_

_'She'll never love you; nobody will. You'll always be alone.'_

* * *

Reno sat against the wall in one of the Sierra's rooms. He listened to Elena soft but shallow breathing and tried to calm himself down, to think straight. Rude sat beside the bed on a chair and watched Elena's bated breaths as well, wishing for her to move. Anything to let them know she could be saved.

Because they certainly were having a hard time in believing that right now.

"Damn. This is wrong, man." Reno said. "Wrong."

Rude looked over at Reno, his saddened eyes covered by his black sunglasses. He knew now, why Reno was feeling so out of it because of Elena. He had figured Reno would be happier at the prospect of having her back with them, regardless of her condition. As long as she was safe, it was alright, but he had the distinct feeling that Reno wanted to hear her speak. He wanted her to move and show that she was alive and not just some mako infused vegetable.

Reno was doing exactly what he said he would never do; he was falling for a girl. Elena no less.

Rude knew Reno was trying to hide it from him. Why? He had no idea. They were best friends after all, but he supposed after all the talk about alcoholism and one nighters with any woman that had a body and time he was somewhat scared. Wisely, he kept his mouth shut and said nothing of it because he knew Reno was about to explode. Aerith had been their only chance and she was gone. Where to they didn't know but they desperately wished to find out.

"She's going to be fine, Reno. Aerith will come back." Rude said, watching Reno for his reaction.

"It's not alright! We both know what mako infusion does to a person and this... this! We didn't have it half as bad as her and we were ready to go and throw ourselves off a building!" Reno said, standing and pacing. "$&... Why couldn't we all just go on with our regular lives." He sighed and slumped over the bed.

"Why are we always pulled into some $$& 'save the world' business?"

Rude simply stared at the wall in front of him, letting Reno's words come in through one ear and go out the other. He sat and thought about everything they had done. To the Planet, to the people... To themselves. They'd ruined every chance of having a normal life when they had joined Shinra and became the top assassinates. They owed the Planet this, he thought. In his mind, that was one of the reasons he'd stayed with Avalanche and it seemed valid enough.

Reno and Elena would have other opinions of course, but regardless of their opinions, if one of them stayed the others stayed. The Turks were not separated for anything.

And it would stay that way as long as Rude was alive and breathing.

* * *

Tifa put her arms around herself as she shivered in the uncommonly cold breeze that was floating through the small town of Mideel. True, it had grown quite a bit over the last six or seven months, but not too much. The residents were all doing well as they had managed to patch everything up there after the Weapon had attacked when they'd last been to the town; the crevice in the ground beneath them was still there, the Lifestream floating and gushing endlessly but they wisely kept away from it and built more shops and accommodations on one side of it. The children were running outside, screaming and playing their silly little games and Tifa couldn't keep the small smile off of her face.

God, how she wanted a family.

At that thought she felt a wave of guilt. Aerith had wanted a family too. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to think of something else but it kept on coming back to haunt her. If some of them had been with Sephiroth and Aerith to help, would things have turned out differently? She wanted to believe it, but she knew better. It didn't stop her from wanting to cry that very instant, to cry tears for her two friends who'd been lost in the fight.

Not to say they had been, but she was inclined to feel it, right? Everyone else seemed to think so and she knew Aerith would have contacted them by now if they were alive.

She glanced over at Cloud who was walking beside her, Cait still sleeping on his shoulder. He'd been quiet ever since their meeting. She guessed that he was trying to deal with Aerith's disappearance as well, although he was managing to take it much better then her. He'd smiled for Yuffie; not a pitiful one like she had, but he'd actually tried.

"Cloud." She spoke suddenly and was almost unaware of her mouth moving. "Do you think they're alright?"

Cloud looked over at her sadly. "I don't know, Tifa. I really don't know." He said and stopped walking when Tifa had stopped a few paces behind her.

"Tif..."

"We should be looking for them." She said, her voice sounding hard.

Cloud looked down at the ground and kicked a rock. "Tifa, we have to get the towns in--"

"I know." She said, her voice choking up with emotion. "I know! But why are four of us here, Cloud? It doesn't take that many."

Cloud let her comments slide off him and watched her with concern. "Tifa. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine!" She said. An unexpected flash of children, a house... A family, appeared in her minds eye. She shook her head and heard Nanaki give a slight whine and Cloud's footsteps come nearer. She backed away and tried to compose herself. This wasn't her! She was the cheerful one, the upbeat and helpful one, not some self pitying woman who wished for more then she could have.

"I'm sorry, Cloud." She said, looking up at him. She smiled and walked past him, leaving him dumbfounded. Nanaki brushed against Cloud's hand and Cloud gave him a questioning look; what just happened?

Nanaki shook his head. "She'll be alright." Cloud gave him a skeptical look before turning and walking on. Cait muttered in his ear, still sleeping even after everything that had happened during the day. He watched Tifa's retreating form.

"Well, what do we have to do?" Tifa asked from before him. She turned around and cocked her head to the side and Cloud decided that that right there, was undeniably cute. He almost blushed like a schoolboy at the thought. He cleared his throat and spoke.

"Well. We have to find out who runs this place now." Cloud said. "We'll split up; two for the person who runs this place and two to let everyone else know what's going on and what to do if a situation arises." He watched as Tifa and Red nodded.

"Tifa, I'll go with you. Cait and Cloud seem to be stuck with each other for the moment anyways." He said, shaking his mane so as to remove some of it from his face. Tifa smiled and scratched him behind the ears.

"Alright. Let's go." Cloud said and they walked off in their respective directions.

* * *

_She'll never love you; nobody will. You'll always be alone.'_

Sephiroth stopped struggling at those words. He sat and debated with himself over so much every night he'd been with Avalanche and those words struck a cord within him. He didn't love her. He didn't, he couldn't. And besides that, he'd always been alone, he always would be! He knew that.

It didn't stop him from hurting any less.

At that moment, the voice ceased to speak and the memories faded away. He was emotionally torn yet again; just like when he was younger and he hated it. He hated feeling powerless. A scream came from beside him and his head snapped around to find the cause.

Aerith was laying on her back on the ground, tears still streaming down her face and gasping for breath. Toyori was standing over her holding a blade at her throat yet again to prevent her from moving and was holding a dagger in the other. "Don't do this..." Aerith cried out. Toyori merely grinned and knelt down beside her. He traced the outline of her waist and whispered something to her. Aerith shut her eyes for a moment, saying something back to him. He let out a laugh and moved his hand up to her face and traced her lip with his thumb. "Get away from me." Aerith said, though not very convincingly; whatever Kayana had done to them it had taken more out of her then they realized.

"You heard her," Sephiroth said, no more then a growl when Toyori simply smiled in reply and moved the dagger down to here stomach. "Get away from her."

Toyori ignored him and moved the dagger upward, ready to strike her. Sephiroth lunged, knocking him clear away from her, picking up the Masamune in the process. He brought it in front of him just in time to block Toyori's blade from embedding itself in his chest. He pushed Toyori back and he back flipped over to Kayana, quickly saying something to her before jumping forward again to Sephiroth.

All Sephiroth could manage to do at the moment was block Toyori's persistent blows as his mind was still in complete shambles from Kayana's attack. He knew that he and Aerith needed to get out of there now as there was no way he could take on both of them on his own. He hadn't even realized that Toyori had slipped his dagger out of his pocket again and was backing him up towards Aerith. Only at Aerith's shrill scream did he snap back and manage to push Toyori back one last time before he was close enough to get to her.

He made his decision in that one moment he had to turn back and he scooped Aerith up off of the ground and set off at a run.

"Kayana!" Sephiroth heard Toyori yell behind him and knew what was coming. He started jumping off of the surrounding trees and ran for the clearing he knew to be in front of it, constantly moving from side to side to evade the wisps of smoke he knew was following him. Aerith started in his grasp and he nearly lost his hold on her then but he managed to just catch himself.

"Sephiroth, what...?" She said, looking in front of them and them up at his face. "Sephiroth?"

He ignored her best he could, for a reason he himself couldn't even understand.

The end of the sea of trees was just before him now and he picked up his pace, desperately hoping for Avalanche to be there.

Aerith let out a whimper and pointed beside them. "Sephiroth, look!"

There was Toyori, not too far off beside them, easily matching his pace and still grinning like an idiot. Sephiroth grit his teeth and concentrated on running forwards. If they could get to Avalanche, they would be alright.

He heard Aerith whisper, "look out" and saw her shut her eyes and only just caught himself, stopping in his run and ducking, though sliding a good few feet. Toyori flew straight over them and landed on the opposite tree, gaining momentum to turn and fly out at them again but he found that those he was pursuing were no longer there. He heard a rustling from above him and was enraged to see the treetops give the very slightest shake that would not have been visible to anyone else. He jumped up, fully expecting to see them there but found nothing still.

He ran off the last few trees and jumped to the ground, seeing the somewhat demolished airship parked not too far ahead and Sephiroth making his way for it. He narrowed his eyes and took up his full strength, running straight for them. Unfortunately, Sephiroth more or less expected it. However, he did not expect Yuffie and Cid to appear from right around the side of the airship. If he moved out of the way now, Toyori would hit them regardless of the fact that he was after Aerith.

He didn't break his run and instead smashed as harmlessly as possible into Yuffie which in turn caused Cid to fall back. That being done, he let himself fall back onto the ground and watched as Toyori ran right over them and, seeing that he'd sliced nothing to bits, jumped onto the top of the airship.

"Aerith! Sephiroth!" Yuffie shouted, wanting to run over to them to see if they were alright, but Cid held her back.

Sephiroth used the last ounce of strength he had to roll over, puttingAerith underneath him. He collapsed on top of her, knowing that at least he would be hit first should Yuffie and Cid not be able to do anything. The darkness took him and the last thing he heard was Aerith whispering his name.

* * *

Barret and Vincent had managed to round up as many of the survivors as possible and were now heading back to the airship where Yuffie and Cid were waiting. Elmyra and Marlene were already inside the airship, the knew, only because Marlene had wanted to be with Yuffie. Elmyra had gone with them to take care of Marlene's scratches best she could and also because Barret had asked her to take a moment to speak with Yuffie.

The dead were being left in Kalm for the time being, until they had enough time and money to get them proper burials. The family and friends who'd known them had said their tearful goodbyes and some even had to be dragged off by Vincent or Barret for they couldn't bring themselves to leave their deceased friends and relatives there.

They had only just rounded the corner that would have brought them into being able to view the damaged Sierra when both Vincent and Barret heard Yuffie scream Sephiroth's name; while you may think that would be something they'd have been expecting her to be doing, it didn't sound right to them. They hurried around the corner and saw Cid holding her in place and Sephiroth laying face down on the ground. None other then Toyori was standing on top of the airship and an odd looking woman they'd never seen before was walking towards them.

"Where's Aerith...?" Barret muttered. He turned to Vincent. "We need to get the hell ova there!"

Vincent nodded and they turned to the townspeople, telling them to stay put and not let themselves be seen.

* * *

"All right. We all done here?" Cloud asked his group. Tifa and Cait had just returned from their talks with everyone around town and Cloud had, after a ridiculously long search, found the young man who ran Mideel; it was his former doctor when he'd been in his vegetable-like state.

"Yes, I think so." Tifa said, shifting her weight. She felt weird, to say the least. Like something was wrong, not with her, but someone else. Try as she might she couldn't quell the feeling.

"Something wrong?" The now awake Cait asked, seeing the change in Tifa for once. Tifa blinked a couple times before raising her hands in mock defense.

"Of course not! Why would there be anything wrong?" She said and they all fell silent. She realized too late the irony her words held.

"Well." She said, smiling and putting her arms behind her back. "Let's get a move on, why don't we!" She continued, trying to raise their spirits.

Cloud nodded and took out his PHS. He went to dial a number when Red flew a few feet in front of them with a whine. "Huh? Red!" Cloud exclaimed and quickly turned to face Tifa but he was too late; Tifa fell to the ground and he only just caught her. "Cait?" Cloud asked, looking at his shoulder only to find Cait on the ground behind him.

"What's going on..." Those were his last words before the darkness consumed him.

* * *


	26. Betrayal

**Lost in the Shadows **

_Chapter 26 - Betrayal_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

"They're not the one's we need..." A voice whispered harshly. The person moved to stand over Cloud and Tifa's forms, their expression that of repulsion.

"Nope, not at all." The unknown turned and began to walk away, happy that he hadn't been seen.

* * *

Rude started and jumped up at the sound of a woman's scream; Yuffie's scream. His head snapped around to look at Reno. "Stay here and keep her safe."

Reno made to protest but Rude cut him short with a 'look'. Reno closed his mouth and nodded, lowering his eyes. Rude quickly grabbed a gun from off the table and hesitated before the door for a moment.

Rude tensed and strode out of the room without another look back.

* * *

"Let me go, old man!" Yuffie cried out, trying to break free of Cid's grip. Toyori was looking murderous and he was holding his weapon in a rather menacing manner.

"Stop it, brat." Cid whispered harshly. "Now is not the time to do anything stupid -- don't need you killed."

Yuffie's eyes filled with tears and she watched as Toyori leapt from the building. Yuffie's closed her eyes tightly and waited for it -- for Aerith's piercing scream and Sephiroth's shocked gasp.

"Yuffie, Cid, get out of there!"

Yuffie's eyes snapped open and she turned to face Vincent and Barret. Barret began to shoot a round of bullets at Toyori and Vincent shot at him as well with perfect aim. Toyori managed to evade all but Vincent's shots and when his foot touched the ground he was airborne again immediately.

Cid let go of Yuffie and she ran to the opening of the airship and grabbed their weapons. She threw Cid his large spear before running out in full force, ready to throw her shuriken. Cid's spear flew by her and into Toyori's arm. Yuffie nearly froze; that was far too easy. Her eyes widened when a dark purple miasma surrounded him. She was thrown back by the force and was heavily poisoned.

She executed a perfect back flip in midair and landed on her feet on the ground, but she fell over at soon as she landed and held her head in her hands, trying to steady her vision.

"Yuffie!" Barret called out, running over to her side. He pulled out an antidote and forced it down her throat, despite her protests.

"Rude! Get your ass over here!" Cid yelled, waving his arm. He stopped suddenly and called out a warning, "Watch out for Vince!"

Yuffie turned her attention to Vincent; he was transforming. He let out a half-human, half-demonic growl as deep brown hued skin began to form all over his body. Wings were protruding from his back and his eyes now had slitted pupils.

"Chaos..." Yuffie whispered. He'd only ever taken on that form once around them -- and they'd been in dire danger. What could have caused him to transform...?

"You could be quite useful... But enough of these silly games. It ends now." Toyori said. He jumped off of the ship and flew straight for Vincent, his double edged sword ready. He swung in such a way that everybody was sure he wouldn't miss -- but Chaos swerved out of the way with agility they'd never seen him use before, before launching himself right at Toyori, winding him.

Toyori fell back on one knee and his arm hung limply at his side. Chaos had managed to dislocate it.

Yuffie's shuriken, Cid's spear and bullet's from both Barret and Rude were flying at him with amazing speed, but he didn't even flinch. They watched in shock as he simply brought his fist up into the air and then back down onto the earth beneath him with a shattering sound.

Yuffie smirked -- what, did he break his hand?

Her face fell when the entirety of the earth around him and them began to fall into shambles. Most of them tripped and fell over, while a couple of them managed to keep their feet on the ground.

Toyori jumped high above all of the dangers flying straight at him before landing soundly on the ground again. Yuffie gasped as he walked effortlessly over the broken earth over to where Aerith and Sephiroth lay.

She stumbled when she stood and tried to walk after him. She despaired silently, as her weapon was nowhere reachable -- the same went for Cid. Barret was still trying to get up off his ass, as Yuffie so delicately put it, and Rude was --

Yuffie's eyes widened. "Rude, no--!"

Rude was obviously skilled on any range of terrain, as he ran straight up to Toyori, fists ready and gun at his side. He wasn't prepared at all for what came next.

Toyori, quicker then their eye's could see, plunged a dagger into Rude's chest. Right in the heart.

* * *

Yuffie let out a bloodcurdling scream. Aerith heard a thud come from right next to her but she refused to look.

Aerith shut her eyes tight, not wanting to know why Yuffie had screamed; or if what she was dreading was now laying right next to her.

_'Dear Planet... Please, no... Not now, not him... Reno... Elena...'_

She was crying silently now. "Why..." She whispered brokenly. "Sephiroth... Get off me... Wake up!"

"Rude, oh my god, oh my god!" Yuffie cried. "Oh my god, what have you done?"

Aerith tried to push him off with her hands but he was too heavy; she then tried to move her hips and use her hands to shift him off of her but he was simply immovable.

Before she could even comprehend what was happening, a rather sharp looking blade was heading right for her head. She moved out of the way just in time through instinct and she screamed in fear, but then the Planet let out a mind shattering wail and she let her head fall right back down and she fell quiet save for a few whimpers.

"Wha--"

Aerith's eyes snapped open. "Sephiroth?" Behind him, the blade was just about to cut through his neck but she must've seen the reflection in her eyes because he moved his head to lay right beside hers. Just as quickly, he was up again; he swung his leg out and caught Toyori off guard, knocking him over.

Toyori jumped back up on his feet. By then, Sephiroth was on his knees, Aerith sitting behind him in shock. He held his hands out as Toyori's blade came sweeping down and when the blade should have connected and ripped through Sephiroth's hands, the Masamune appeared.

Aerith stood up and backed up -- until she hit something. She looked down and let slip a small scream. Eyes wide she fell back, but she couldn't take her eyes off of him. Gaining herself, she moved to check his pulse.

There was none.

She let out a sob and brought her hand over his eyes, closing them. She stood slowly, using the ship's side as a stand. What had she been expecting? To find him alive? For the Planet to heal him like she knew it could have? She shook with anger and she turned to cast a powerful Ultima spell on Toyori when something took hold of her mind and body.

'Hello sweetie -- don't mind if I use your body, do you?' Kayana's voice reverberated throughout her head.

* * *

Cloud came to well after sunset, groggy and confused. Looking around him and seeing the still forms of Tifa, Cait and Red, it all came back to him. He stood quickly and went to Tifa's side. He shook her until she woke -- which she did rather strangely, sitting up quickly with a pained gasp -- before moving on to the other two.

"What happened?" Cloud asked Nanaki.

He shook his head and looked sadly at Cloud, equally as confused. "I do not know."

Cloud looked to the other two, but they didn't know what was going on either. Cloud sighed, wanting to know what had happened. Something told him it was extremely important he know -- but seeing as how that wasn't an option, he pulled out his PHS and punched in Cid's number.

A few minutes and rings passed without anyone picked up. He frowned down at the PHS that was now sitting in his hand.

"What's wrong?" Tifa said, shifting to look over his shoulder.

"Cid's not answering." He muttered. Cait jumped up onto his shoulder and curled his tail around Cloud's neck loosely.

"Do you think something is wrong?"

"I hope not. We can't get off this island to help, if that's the case, without him." Cloud answered. Today was not going very well.

Tifa sighed and sat back, scratching behind Red's ears absentmindedly. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait. There's nothing we can do about it right now."

Cloud scratched the back of his head and stood, stretching. "I'll go see if we can get a room -- wait here."

Tifa nodded and he walked off. Red whined slightly and Tifa smiled encouragingly.

She smiled even though she didn't feel she had any real reason to.

* * *

Aerith couldn't stop the onslaught of pain flowing through her mind; she couldn't scream, she couldn't speak, she couldn't move. Not on her own, at least. Kayana was sending wave after wave of magic towards Toyori -- fake magic. He kept moving forward as though she was doing nothing at all. She couldn't understand it! What was going on here? Why couldn't she control her body?

All of her comrades were giving her looks -- she was the strongest spell caster out of all of them, so why wasn't she affecting him if the rest of them could?

She continued to cast spells until she ran out of magic power. That too, she couldn't understand. Why was something like this consuming it all?

She watched as Sephiroth and Toyori fought like there was no tomorrow; they were swinging their blades mercilessly, managing to stay far away from the rest of them the entire time. Barret and Yuffie were tending to Rude and Vincent and Cid were standing on the sidelines, unable to find anything useful to do. Aerith heard a PHS ring from somewhere not to far away, but nobody noticed or they simply chose to ignore it.

Aerith could only watch in horror as Toyori, who had turned and looked at her with a look of deep rage, ran straight for her. Sephiroth hadn't anticipated his moving towards her and he attacked, slicing through thin air. He stood motionless for no more then a few seconds before he ran after him yet again.

Aerith found this annoying -- why did he have to keep coming after her? Why couldn't he finish the job the first time? She grew angry as he came closer and closer, but she could hardly do anything about it.

She was going nowhere.

In the split second that Toyori lunged for her she felt herself inhabiting her body once again Her eyes widened as she realized what was going on.

Toyori jutted his entire being, elbow more then anything else, into her ribcage. She felt all the air inside of her leave her and just as quickly as she felt herself controlling her body, she couldn't. Sephiroth quickened and moved to catch.

She fell right through him.

"What..?" He gasped.

"Aerith?" Yuffie cried out -- Aerith could hear it all, but she couldn't fell anything anymore. Nothing.

Sephiroth quickly moved so he was kneeling beside her, not worrying about Toyori behind him, as he too had stopped moving. Toyori's face was expressionless as he watched the scene before him unfold.

"Sephiroth..." Kayana said mysteriously, walking out from the brush.

'Kayana!' Aerith thought. 'She did this!'

"What is this?" Sephiroth seethed. He turned to Kayana. "What is this!" He yelled, pointing at Aerith's slightly transparent form.

"They lied to you, Sephiroth..." Kayana said, ceasing any movement when she was beside Toyori. "The Planet, her parent's... Your mother, who claimed to love you." She shook her head with mirth. "They never sent back their precious _Cetra_ daughter!" She said the word as though it were some vicious disease.

'What...'

"You're wrong." Sephiroth shook his head and laughed. "What have you done with her?"

"Surely Hojo's son would know a fake when they saw one? You know how powerful her magic is -- she didn't inflict any pain upon Toyori here."

"She is merely excess mako and lifestream remnants, embodying the long dead Cetra survivor." Toyori added, beginning to pace.

"Don't listen Sephiroth, don't listen!" Yuffie exclaimed, shaking her head. "They're lying! Aerith was here, I know she was!"

Kayana's eyes swept over Yuffie. "A young child would never know the difference." Yuffie moved forward, ready to give the woman a piece of her mind but Vincent moved and grasped her arm.

"How else would she simply... fall through you like that? She is not real -- she never was."

The first flicker of doubt entered Sephiroth's eyes; Vincent noticed immediately.

"Sephiroth--"

"Shut up."

Toyori smirked slightly. "Sephiroth, the Planet is just like Jenova. It wants to control you -- it wants you to save it. Not to be happy." He shook his head. "Once you've completed that task... Who knows what might happen to you."

Sephiroth lowered his eyes to Aerith. "But..."

Yuffie's eyes widened. "Sephiroth, how could you even begin to believe what he's saying to you?" Is his mind really so weak? Is this how Jenova managed to take control of him the first time?

Sephiroth stood slowly, his bangs hiding his eyes.

"Hey!"

Everyone looked up and watched as Tifa, Cloud, Red and Cait ran toward the group. "What's going on here...?" Tifa asked. "Aerith?" She gasped, surprised.

"Sephiroth, what's going on?" Cloud asked, his eyes hardening. Hadn't he told everyone this would happen?

Sephiroth laughed, startling them all.

Red walked forward to sit in front of the man and looked up underneath his bangs. "Do you wish to leave?" Red asked, fully aware that Aerith was beneath him -- Sephiroth seemed the bigger problem at the moment however.

Sephiroth whipped his katana out and swung it at Red; he seemed to know this would happen though and Red managed to evade easily.

"He believed her..." Yuffie breathed, turning to Vincent. "We have to stop him!"

"Sephiroth..." Tifa took a step forward but was met with the tip of the Masamune. She froze, taking her time to look him in the eye. "You have to know they're lying... Whatever they said... It's not true."

He laughed again. "You're the liars." That said, he turned and sheathed his blade. He took a leap and disappeared over the top of the trees.

Tifa fell to her knees and sighed.

"Hey, wait!" Yuffie yelled, running past Tifa as Toyori and Kayana both disappeared. Kayana's smile was ghostly and it shook her to the core -- there _had_ to be more involved. Sephiroth wouldn't just readily agree with her... Would he?

"What's wrong with Rude?" Cait Sith asked suddenly. One look from Cid gave the arriving foursome their answer.

"This is fucked up." Cid swore, walking over to pick his spear up.

A sob coming from before them made them all stop and they watched as Aerith picked herself up off the ground, tears streaming down her face.

* * *


	27. Where'd You Go?

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 27 - Where'd You Go?_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

"Aerith!" Tifa cried, scrambling to her feet only to fall back to her knees beside her comrade. She laid her hands gently on Aerith's shoulders and whispered something the rest couldn't hear. Aerith nodded and put a hand on her chest as a spasm racked through her body.

A few of the others moved forward but Aerith shook her head; she was alright. Still reeling from the shock, she couldn't focus on one thing at a time -- everything was pulsing through her and she was reliving the last hour full of painful moments.

"Aerith?" Tifa asked, tightening her grip and the pink clad woman's shoulders. "What happened?"

Aerith shook her head. "It doesn't..." She raised her eyes to the sky. "It doesn't matter right now." Standing suddenly she startled Tifa by taking a few steps away. Cid moved forward to grasp her forearm.

"You shouldn't be moving around, girl."

Aerith squeezed her eyes shut. "I have to." She gently pulled her arm away and walked over to the edge of the ship. Tifa wondered for a moment if she was worse off then they thought, but Aerith kneeled down on the ground and put her hand over something.

Rude's eyes were glossed over, his sunglasses thrown to the side from the force of a blow -- was that a... stab wound? Tifa gasped and took a step back.

"What the hell happened?" Cloud asked, running over to Aerith's side. He watched as Aerith put her hands over Rude's eyes, closing them and fury swept through him. Looking over at Aerith, he was ready to interrogate, but the sight of her stopped him. Fresh tears were rolling down her cheeks and onto her dress and she looked like she herself was struggling with Rude's stab wound.

"Aerith, come on. Let's go inside." Yuffie said quietly, taking her arm. Aerith stood and retracted it almost aggressively, striding into the ship through the now broken entrance.

_Planet..._

_Why? _

_You **promised** me!_

_You said you wouldn't... _

_Why did you do this?_

Silence.

Aerith felt all the energy drain from her as her faced paled.

Oh god... Oh no.

_Planet?_

The silence that greeted her confirmed her fears. The Planet was no longer there.

The great entity had left her in the dark.

* * *

He'd had trouble listening to his best friend before, but this time the urge to disobey was just too great. Reno listened as Yuffie screamed yet again and her male companions swore -- something was definitely going on out there.

When the noise had just... stopped. That's what really made him second guess his decision to stay behind.

Elena would be alright on her own, right?

She didn't need him to babysit her.

Who was he _kidding_? He couldn't leave her alone, not anymore.

Sighing, he cursed himself for whatever the hell had taken over him.

The feelings channeling through him were enough to make him wish he was... What? What did he wish?

That it would all just come to an end? That the feelings would just disappear?

But then it wasn't really the fact that the feelings were _there_... It was the fact that he didn't know what they _were_.

_Beggars can't be choosers!_

Elena's words made him smile... How many times had she said something along those lines to him?

"Aerith wait!"

"Aerith!"

Reno perked up a bit at the sound of the familiar voices. Did someone just say Aerith? She was back?

"Aerith--!"

The door was flung open and Reno backed away just in time from landing on the floor like the boxes that were piled near it; he looked on in shock as Aerith, cheeks visibly stained with tears, strode in pale-skinned and looking rather underfed. The entirety of her was a mess but his attention was drawn more to her eyes.

I'm sorry...

I'm so sorry...

"I'm sorry." She choked out, more tears returning. "I'm so sorry." She added in a hoarse whisper, her face crumbling into that of what someone who was breaking down would have.

Reno's mind was running a mile a minute -- what the hell was she sorry for?

Did he even need to ask?

Reno narrowed his eyes, setting Elena down on the floor. "What the hell are we talking about?"

"I couldn't do anything... I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She cried, falling to the floor. "I'm sorry..."

Why did she have to keep repeating that? It was driving him up the--

"He's gone; he's dead."

Reno's world crashed down around him.

* * *

Aerith couldn't stand the look on Reno's face. She couldn't stand everyone crowding around her.

She was _tired_ of crying.

Emotions ripped through her but she tried to drown it out the best she could and forced herself to her feet.

What is **wrong** with me?

"Aerith." Cloud stood in front of her and grasped her chin lightly, forcing her to look at him. His eyes were set in a face of stone, but she could see the kindness in them and that made the anger that surged to die out. "You need to relax, we all do."

Aerith let herself calm down and Cloud smiled slightly when the tension visible in her arms faded. She smiled back and placed her hand over his.

Strangely, she felt like her old self again.

"I'll be alright." She said softly, breathing in deeply. "I just need some time to..."

_Plan?_

_Wonder?_

_Hope?_

"To think." She finished lamely, sliding out of his grasp easily and walking through the door.

"What happened?"

Aerith turned to look Reno in the eyes. The pain in his eyes was extraordinary and she had to look away, lest she too begin to experience his feelings.

The Planet used to do that to her -- used to let her feel the pain of others. A sharp jut to her heart.

"I... He was stabbed. I couldn't do anything because..." She closed her eyes and sighed. "Sephiroth shielded me with his body but he was unconscious so I couldn't get up. When he did wake up... I didn't have control of myself." She turned and continued on out of the room. "I'm sorry, Reno."

"Where is he?" He whispered. Aerith stopped and turned her head to the side.

"He's outside." Turning around fully she let her eyes rest on Elena. "If you can bring her up to my room right now I'll fix her up." She said kindly and quietly. "And you can go and look in at Rude and... Decide what you're going to do."

Reno nodded silently, picking Elena up and carrying her out of the room. Aerith led the way upstairs and Reno followed, his heart pounding with grief and despair.

* * *

_'It's so quiet...'_

Yuffie shifted her feet and looked around at everyone in the room. Their heads were either hung down on their chests or they stared skywards.

_'Probably mulling over everything.'_

"This is unreal." Tifa said, letting her shoe pick at the floor. She lifted her eyes to meet Yuffie's and they held gazes for the next few silent moments. "I thought this was supposed to be over." She continued, moving across the room.

"Hey, wait a minute." Yuffie said, facing Cloud. "How did you guys get back here anyway? You were in Mideel for crying out loud."

Cloud's eyes followed Tifa as she moved in restlessness and anxiety. "We caught a ship heading out from Mideel." Standing, he walked over to Tifa and touched her shoulder reassuringly. She halted and leaned back into him, closing her eyes and letting out a troubled breath.

"This is the last thing we need ta be discussin'." Barret said, fixing a glare on Cloud. "My daughter and Elmyra were in this ship and civilians are not even five minutes away. We need ta move out." His face darkened. "Have ta be prepared for that crazy silver son of a bitch."

Tifa immediately bristled and stood to his defense. "Barret, stop. You know he didn't choose to go with them himself."

"Tif, that's bullshit, you should know better then that." Raising his fist menacingly, he looked around at all of them. "Didn't we tell ya -- didn't Spike and I tell ya this was no good? _He_ was no good?"

"The only bullshit here is how you feel the need to keep on blaming Sephiroth for all of our problems -- we _chose_ to face this. If you can't deal with it then take Marlene and Elmyra somewhere safe. Stay with them." Tifa retaliated, flying out the door in a rage.

"Ah, you always choose to say the most fucked up shit I ever heard." Cid said, taking out a few smokes. He walked out the door behind Tifa glancing back at Barret. "Don't go causin' trouble now. We're all damn tired of this and we don't need any more trouble then we've got. Everyone hides and expresses their pain differently."

* * *

Reno wordlessly walked into Aerith's room and set Elena down on the bed before turning and walking right back out the way he came. He slammed the door behind him and Aerith winced, unable to believe what was happening.

Still reeling from the shock, she thought of all that happened since she and Sephiroth had returned. There had to be some rift in their plot, something they'd overlooked...

She swung around when her door was opened again and before she knew what was happening, a pair of arms were thrown around her neck and she felt the brown haired woman she'd once called her mother shaking with sobs. Aerith closed her eyes.

_No... _

_This can't happen._

_I can't do this._

Aerith took gentle hold of Elmyra's arms and pushed her away lightly. Aerith inspected the woman's face and saw that she'd aged quite a bit -- it looked like she wasn't even taking care of herself. How was she taking care of that dear child of Barret's? She felt guilt wash over her when the possible explanation floated through her mind but she dismissed it as quickly as it had appeared.

"Mo-- Elmyra." Aerith corrected, taking a step away from her. Shock flew across Elmyra's face but it was quickly replaced with sadness and guilt.

"I thought you were dead -- I thought you were gone. I was so, so stricken with depression! Why didn't you come back, why?" She rambled.

"I was dead." Aerith answered softly. "I was."

Elmyra took her adoptive daughter's hands in hers and started to panic when Aerith slid out of her grasp. "What--"

"I can't do this!" Aerith whispered fiercely.

Understanding flew across Elmyra's face. "You think you might..."

"Please don't." Aerith said, turning away and pulling open some of her drawers, trying to find he correct ingredients for Elena.

"Aerith, you aren't going to die again, you can't. You were brought back for a reason -- that doesn't mean, it doesn't even give you the right to push me away!" Elmyra said, hurt littering her voice. "I raised you as my own. I know you're stronger then this. Whatever has taken a hold of you, you'll get through it, you will!"

"How do you know?" Aerith asked brokenly, some of her resistance falling away.

"Because I believe in you. And I love you. We want you here and I know you'll do everything to make sure that happens."

The tears fell once more and the two women hugged. "Oh mum, I missed you so much. I'm so sorry."

"No, no, I am sorry." Elmyra said, pulling away and smiling. "I let you go off with that fool of a boy, after all."

Aerith smiled and she was surprised when she heard herself laugh. It sounded so right. "Well, if you're sorry for that then you really don't want to hear about who I've found now."

* * *

Reno knelt down beside his best friend.

His dead best friend.

It didn't surprise Reno when it began to rain. Didn't surprise and didn't bother.

Rude always did love the rain. For the strangest reasons he could have ever possibly imagined.

Funny, how you always remember those things when you know that person is gone.

"Well." Reno said, feeling equally foolish as he felt sad. What harm would come of it? Aerith was living proof that communication with the dead was possible. "We had some good times. Now you've gone and died on me." He stood and kicked at the dirt. He looked so eerily peaceful, like he didn't mind being dead. Fury flushed Reno's skin a slight red hue and, staring at the ground like it was some abomination he let himself go.

"Fuck, it's not everyday you find someone you can really relate to -- why the hell did you tell me to stay back there? Maybe things would have been different. Maybe I could have prevented this." Reno said, disliking how serious he sounded. "Maybe you'd still be here."

_Tseng..._

_Rude..._

_Elena..._

"Who the hell is going to help me out with Elena? How are we supposed to feel whole again after this? It was always the three of us..." Reno said, his voice going quiet.

"Now you're both gone. What do I do now?" Reno asked.

"What do I _do_?"

_I'll miss you..._

_I already do._

"See you on the other side." Reno chuckled lightly, the first tears he'd ever let loose in the last... Who knows how many years falling, hidden by the rain.

* * *

Elmyra had left not too long ago and Elena had been remedied; or at least Aerith hoped she had been. Standing in the middle of her room, she let all the thoughts she'd repressed flow back into her mind.

All she really had to think about was a single word. A name.

Sephiroth.

She started to pace the room, as tired as she was, and tried to think of all possible ways Sephiroth could have been so easily manipulated. She would never blame him... But she had to wonder.

'Oh Sephiroth... What have I done now?' She thought somberly, falling down on the bed beside the now peacefully sleeping Elena.

"Oh Elena, I don't know what to do." Aerith said, looking over at her. "I wish I could go after him. But where do I start? How do I get there?" She rolled over on her side and let her eyes slide closed. "Everything is so complicated..."

_Planet..._

_Why have to left me?_

_What happened?_

_Why did this happened?_

_You promised me it would be me who died._

_Why is that not the case anymore..._

Letting out an aggravated sigh, Aerith feel into uneasy dreams.

Before she was gone she swore she could hear Toyori and Kayana laughing at her helplessness.

Was she truly so weak?

* * *


	28. Deception in the Unlikely

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 28 - Deception in the Unlikely_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7, its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Aerith awoke from a dreamless slumber to someone pounding on the door.

"Aerith? Aerith, open up." Yuffie called from the other side and Aerith surprised herself when she couldn't repress a smile. When was the last time she'd done that?

"I'm coming." She said, standing and stretching.

'Planet, where did you go...? Why did you leave me here?'

Silence.

She sighed as she walked closer to the door. "Aerithhh." Yuffie drawled, already impatient. Aerith giggled and opened the door. She was surprised to see Reno and Tifa with her -- they hadn't said a thing. Yuffie jumped at her and gave her a rather crushing hug before slipping past her to look at Elena. "Wow, she's still asleep? Did you heal her yet?" She asked, brushing the hair in her face away softly.

"Yeah, I did. I haven't gotten any response yet, but she should come around pretty soon." Aerith said, a thought entering her mind. How were they going to tell her about her best friend's death? Especially after just waking up when the last thing she'd seen was probably Toyori's face?

Another thing that was bothering her was how they hadn't really made much progress with anything -- Toyori was still around, as were the fiends, and now there was a dangerous woman in the picture.

Sephiroth.

She raised her eyes to the sky and wondered why she didn't feel more worried about him.

'He could not have seriously fallen for that woman's tricks?' She asked the Planet, realizing too late she would get no response.

That would definitely take some getting used to.

"Did it really heal her? Are you sure?" Reno interrogated. The tone of his voice told her he was scared of losing his last friend. She turned to face him and smiled warmly.

"It worked Reno -- just give her some time. There was a lot of mako in her system."

He looked visibly relieved for a moment but he set his face in stone again, leaving with a mumbled 'thank you' in her direction.

"Aerith." Tifa said. The woman tilted her head, letting the brunette know she was listening. "I would like to talk to you... It's important." She glanced at Yuffie and Elena. "But can we go somewhere else?"

Aerith knew her eyes held questions but Tifa didn't acknowledge it.

"Heyyy! I wanna know too! Tifaaaa!" Yuffie cried.

Tifa looked uneasy but relented and walked out of the room with the younger woman. Aerith checked on Elena before stepping out after them, locking the door.

Why did she have the feeling she already knew what Tifa was going to say?

* * *

"You know, Tifa probably wants to see you." Red said, walking over to Cloud and sitting beside him. They were on the Sierra's deck and both of them were silently marvelling at how the ship had managed to get off the ground. It had taken a lot of damage, but Cid worked his magic somehow. He always did.

_"I'll be fucking dead before I let my baby turn into scrap metal! I saw that you little--!" He said, raising a fist and glaring at Cloud._

Cloud stood straight and began to pace. Red lowered his head in defeat.

"Why did he go berserk like that all of a sudden?" Cloud mumbled to himself. "He was doing fi--" He noticed how Red's eyes were twinkling with mirth and he was sure he was grinning -- as well as a feline could, anyway. "Wow, hey, I don't like the guy! He brandished his oversized sword at Tif's throat!"

"I'm sure that's all it is."

"That's all it is."

Red hesitated for a moment before saying something that Cloud found extremely confusing. "Don't read too much into this. There may be more to it than we know."

_I'm sure there was more contributing to why he left._

* * *

"Oh, so that's how you gonna play it? You foo'! I'm kick your ass from here to fu--"

"Barret!"

"Daddy!"

Elmyra and Marlene glared at the large man and he lowered his fist and face-vaulted. "Oh, uh, sorry 'Myra... Honey." He turned away muttering obscenities before walking out, kicking -- or trying to kick -- Cait.

"'Ey, watch where you're goin'!" The cat said, dusting himself off. Even though there was no dust.

"I'm sure he was aiming for something else." Vincent supplied, standing and walking up to Cid. "Where exactly are we going?" He asked the temperamental man, feeling Cait burning holes into his back.

"How the hell -- no, wait, why the hell do I have to know!" Cid answered and Marlene immediately ran over to him and hugged his leg.

"That's a bad word, uncle Cid." She smiled up at him and he returned the smile sheepishly. "When is the new baby coming?"

Cid cleared his throat and looked away. "He--" He caught himself. "I mean, anyday now."

"I think it'll be soon."

"Do ya?" Cid asked, the nervousness in his voice evident.

"Can you not understand English anymore?" Cait said, jumping onto Elmyra's shoulder. Cid answered him with a glare.

* * *

In a pitch black room, faint breathing could be heard. Cold and damp, the inhabitant was finding it difficult to stay asleep, and he dozed for a few minutes, finally giving up the task, before his bright green eyes snapped open. He stayed perfectly still for a moment, making sure nobody was there with him and when he was sure, he sat up slowly. His head was pounding, and he decided that it should never be hurting that badly.

Looking around, Sephiroth knew he was in a dungeon-like room. There were no shackles, no barred door, but it was definitely somewhere that his captors -- or should he say, partners? -- kept hostages often.

He could only assume Elena had been in here.

He thought of everything that had happened up to that point -- he thought of everyone he'd left behind.

His expression stayed blank as he thought about it but he let it all go when he heard voices coming closer; they had obviously realized he was awake. He listened intently to what they were saying.

"We needed to get tha--" Kayana's unusually high pitched voice cut through the air, bringing to life the entire place that seemed so... dead.

"Do not worry about that. I have it." Toyori answered irritably and Sephiroth heard the fumbling of fabric which he could only assume was a pocket.

Sephiroth didn't need to see anything to know what they had.

The White Materia.

As the two walked through the door, watching him curiously while grins tugged at their mouths, Sephiroth stood.

Let the games begin.

* * *

Aerith followed behind Tifa and Yuffie, who were silent as ever -- that didn't happen very often and Aerith wondered what could be wrong.

They eventually ended up inside the kitchen, Tifa and Yuffie's usual spot to sit and discuss different things -- boys, secrets... 'Girl problems', as Cloud so eloquently put it. Judging from Tifa's expression this was much more serious then their crazy fantasies and very much secret secrets. She titled her head to the side in an unspoken question.

Tifa sighed.

"I..."

Yuffie looked over expectantly.

"You know, nevermind that. I think there's something more important to discuss." She ignored Aerith and Yuffie's concerned looks and continued on. "What are we going to do with Rude?"

The question startled both of them.

"Is that really our decision to make?" Aerith asked quietly, thinking of Reno. The pain in his eyes... She shook the image away, desperately trying to think of happier emotions. She needed to be able to think clearly.

"I'm not so sure Reno can make that decision. I don't think he's ready or willing to decide himself." Tifa answered. Yuffie, who had stayed quiet throughtout the conversation thus far, was asked then what she thought.

"I think we should wait for Reno -- maybe he wants Elena to help him decide. She'll be awake soon right?"

"Yeah, what about Elena? How much longer do you think she'll be asleep for?"

Aerith shrugged. "It's hard to say -- she was heavily poisoned with mako. Why don't we head back? I don't want her to wake up alone."

They nodded and set off. Comfortable silence filled the air for a few minutes before Yuffie broke it.

"Aerith... What of Seph?"

Aerith flinched subconsciously. She'd been trying to keep her mind of that certain situation all day. "I'm not sure. For some reason I don't find myself too worried."

"Yeah but..." Yuffie trailed off uncertainly.

"What is it, Yuffs?" Tifa asked when they reached the door.

"Well, it's just tha--" She cut off when Aerith opened the door and they found Elena sitting up on the bed, confusion and fear expressed completely in her eyes. She gasped at seeing the three of them and stood fast; too fast, perhaps. Aerith caught her arm and steadied her when her knees gave out.

"Elena, it's alright, you're safe now." She calmed down a bit at that but immediately grasped Aerith's arms in a death grip.

"Aerith... It's an illusion, it's only an illusion." She whispered, eyes darting.

Tifa came up beside Aerith and pushed her lightly onto the bed, sitting beside her. "Elena, it's alright -- this is real, you're safe." She tried to soothe, but the blond woman only shook her head.

"No, no, not this -- the mako pool. It's an illusion!"

Aerith's eyes widened. "What? Where does it lead?"

'Please, please, please, say it can lead me to Sephiroth.'

"It leads to their hideout. You can get there, you can!" She confirmed, tears pooling in her eyes. "Where's Reno, Rude? Where are they?"

Aerith forced herself to calm down. She held her hand out for Elena. "Come on, we'll take you to hi--" She caught herself. "We'll take you to them."

Yuffie shot her a questioning look but Aerith gave her a warning stare over the blond's head. The ninja took to holding the door open for them and Tifa moved to help Elena.

Their hearts were racing as they carried her out to the main room. Yuffie ran forward to the deck to get Nanaki and Cloud while Tifa and Aerith sat Elena down on one of the many chairs in the room.

Reno gasped and moved right over to Elena. "Elena, oh my god."

"Reno, where's Rude?" She asked quietly, wanting to have both of them with her.

Reno's eyes darkened and he looked down at the floor. Elena took hold of his arm. "Reno?"

"He... He's gone, Elena."

"What do you mean gone?" Elena cried out. The entire group was in the room now, watching the scene unfold before them, each of their hearts breaking a little.

"...He died." Reno choked out.

Elena breathed in sharply. "What?" She shook her head. "Reno, that's not funny, don't joke around like tha--"

"Elena!" Reno said, bringing her back down to Earth. The sincerity in his voice was overpowering everything else and she knew deep down that it was true.

"No. No, no, no..." He moaned and collapsed into Reno's arms.

Aerith spoke up then. "Everyone." She said, getting their attention, with the exception of Elena and Reno. "I need to be taken to Lucrecia's Cave." She watched as Vincent's eyes glowed brighter then usual.

_Memories._

"None of you have to come with me." Vincent shifted, knowing her comment was directed toward him.

"Why do you have to--" Cloud started, but stopped when a PHS began to ring.

Cid swore as he clicked the talk button on his phone. "Cid fucking Highwind, if this ain't an emergency, then I'm going to fucking--"

A scream came from the other end of the phone.

"I told you, uncle Cid." Marlene said. Everyone turned to her quickly and blinked. They'd forgotten or either didn't know she was in the room, along with Elmyra. They'd both been listening quietly.

Cid paled. "Oh fuck..."

He fainted then.

* * *

"Cid?" He heard and felt himself being poked and prodded. "Cid? I think you should get up. You realize what's happening right?" More pokes. More prods.

"Cid?" Came another voice. Poke. Prod.

"Would you SHUT THE HELL UP AND STOP POKING MY FUCKING SHOULDER!"

Marlene gasped, but Cid paid her no attention. Elmyra, aided by Barret and Cait, was talking hurriedly on the phone, assuring the doctors they were on their way and apologizing for Cid's behaviour.

"We're goin to Rocket Town, now!" Cid yelled, standing and turning the ship in the other direction.

"Cid, I can't -- I have to go!" Aerith insisted. "Please, drop me off at Lucrecia's Cave!" She begged, her eyes imploring.

"Why do you need to go there?" Cloud asked inquisitively.

Aerith turned to face the group. "You need to trust me on this, alright? I just need to go there. Some of you can come with me if you want and the rest can go to Rocket Town." She turned to face Cid again. "I'm sorry -- I want to be there to see the baby, but this is really important."

Cid relented in the end. "Oh, alright, but you better come back to see the damn kid! It's gotta know all of it's family members, now!" He said and Aerith smiled at his mixed nervousness and happiness.

The others watched her carefully, save for Elena, Tifa and Yuffie. She didn't think she could tell them just yet what she was going to do. Especially not Vincent. She lowered her eyes to the floor.

'I'm coming, Sephiroth.'

* * *


	29. Beginning of a Nightmare

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 29 - Beginning of a Nightmare_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Aerith watched the scenery fly by before her very eyes, taking every little detail in and reveling in the beauty of it all. Her eyes were brighter then usual and seemed to sparkle in an unusual way, being bathed in only a dim light. She heard soft footsteps coming up behind her, which, she noticed, seemed to happen quite a lot these days, but she didn't look away from the sight. She knew who it was.

"I think I can find him." Aerith said happily in no more then a whisper. Feet shuffled beside her.

"Aerith..." Tifa said and Aerith turned to face her. Her best friend was grinning like a maniac.

Aerith returned the grin. "What?" She asked playfully, hitting Tifa's arm lightly with the side of hers. Nothing good could come of whatever the raven haired woman was thinking -- Aerith couldn't bring herself to be all that worried though.

She was going to find him, how could she not be happy?

"Aw, it's nothing." Tifa replied with the same tone. Aerith wanted to wipe that smirk off her face so badly...

"What?"

"You're glowing." Tifa chirped brightly, looking away. _I think someone's falling hard; falling in love!_

Aerith frowned for a second, trying to decipher what Tifa's hidden message might be, but could only shake her head when nothing came to her. She only then just noticed how tired Tifa really looked. There were deep and dark shadows under her eyes, the red veins visible and her posture was nothing more then a slouch. Fatigue had won her over this time. Only one word popped into her head and she didn't hesitate to ask.

"Tifa, how're you and Cloud getting along?" She asked simply, inclining her head.

Tifa's expression became shuttered. "I... We haven't really talked much, you know?" She laughed lightly. "But then, none of us have really had time for any of that, have we? Romance, relaxation... It's just been one thing after another."

Aerith sighed internally. _I know what you mean._

"I wish things could've been different." Aerith began. "I wish..."

I wish I'd never forced this mess upon you, she thought silently.

Tifa put her arms around Aerith and gave her a squeeze. "You didn't ask for this to happen. You couldn't have stopped us from helping either, so don't worry about it." She gave a sigh of despair when Aerith's look became that of indifference. That only meant Aerith thought she was wrong and was trying to hide it -- as usual. "Aerith, come on--"

Aerith's sigh made her stop mid-sentence and she let her arms fall to her sides to then only bring them up to her chest, crossed.

"Aerith..."

"Tifa. It's as much my fault as anyone else's."

"How?" Tifa asked, throwing her arms into the air in exasperation.

"They wouldn't have come to us in the first place had it not been for me. They wanted the White Materia -- that was in my possession, my body. They shouldn't have taken Elena, they should have taken me. They shouldn't have..." She closed her eyes and breathed in sharply. "They shouldn't have killed Rude..."

They should have killed me.

"Aerith, don't." Tifa said, grasping her friend's arm. "We couldn't stop him... Nobody could. It's not your fault he died."

Aerith simply gave her a look and stayed quiet. Tifa dropped the subject; when Aerith made up her mind, there was no changing it.

"So why do you need to go to Lucrecia's Cave?" Tifa asked, sitting down on the ground.

Aerith laid her hands on her stomach. The White Materia was still there... Wasn't it? How could she be sure any more? The thought had crossed her mind many times -- what if, when Kayana had held her under her spell, Toyori had managed to take it from her when he'd slammed into her? She couldn't explain how that might've happened -- she had no wound. What else could explain the Planet's sudden absence from her mind, though?

She only hoped she could still manage to get to Lucrecia somehow.

_I'll always be there..._

_"I'll always be there... If someone should need me..."_

She'd remembered her words the moment Elena had told her of the Mako pool. She couldn't risk going through it though...

Could Lucrecia help her? Could she know a way?

And could she answer some questions?

"I think Lucrecia can help me..." Aerith said, turning her face down towards Tifa who was now staring incredulously at her. "I think she can help me get to Sephiroth."

* * *

Reno stood silently in the ship's largest room and watched as Elena bent over to stroke Rude's cold cheek. He saw the tears escape her eyes and yet he couldn't be happier to see them. She was fine, she was alright.

He couldn't look directly at the fallen form laying on the floor because he knew he would lose it. Elena didn't need to see that.

Rude... His best friend. How was he supposed to go on as the same person anymore? His bald headed best friend was always by his side; he didn't need to speak often and he didn't need to act openly because Reno knew how he felt, knew what he wanted to say. He was the only person he had ever confided in, save for Tseng.

Now, they were both gone.

Gone.

He couldn't even bring himself to say it aloud.

Rude's dead. He's _gone_.

If he said it, it would only make everything real, it would only confirm it.

"Reno." Elena said weakly, walking towards him. He watched in despair as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. He'd only ever seen her cry one other time and that was when Tseng had died. She'd came to him first and he'd pushed her away, hurt her.

He wouldn't do that this time.

He held his arms out and Elena ran into them with renewed fervor. Her tears seeped through his shirt but he didn't care. Sobs began to wrack her body and he held her tighter, not wanting to let go.

Only when a spray of bright light exploded in front of him did his grip loosen. Elena turned in his arms and gasped at the sight, bringing her hand to her mouth in shock. "What is...?"

Bright strings of light blended with shimmering balls of several colours floated into the air, billowing about the open window softly. The sight sent a jolt of panic through Reno as Rude's body disappeared into the aforementioned arrangement of light. Elena cried out in grief and Reno heard footsteps from above racing down. Whoever was on there way had fantastic hearing, he thought absently.

The figure only appeared at the door when the last of the lights had managed to escape through the window. The pink clad figure stopped when she saw them before running over to the window with a smile.

Why would she be smiling, he wondered? Did she know what -- or who -- that was?

She waited only a moment before turning to face them, nodding slowly. "He's alright. The Planet's taken him... He's watching over us as we speak."

Elena gasped and fell to her knee's.

"What do you mean? And how did you know...?" Reno asked.

"I mean that when what you just saw happens... The Planet is taking that person's physical body and restoring it into that of a spiritual one... They have the freedom then, by the Planet's wishes, to stay alive as long as they wish in the Lifestream and they can watch over the people of Gaia. And I know because... I'm a Cetra. I feel things like that." She giggled, quite happy.

"So he's okay?" Elena whispered.

Aerith walked over and knelt in front of her. She took Elena's hand into her own and pulled her into a hug. "He's alright -- very much so."

Elena cried in relief and hugged Aerith back. Reno could only watch the scene with an impassive expression, while inside he was rejoicing.

Things were looking up considerably, at least for the Turks.

He only hoped the rest of their mission could go as smoothly.

Raising his eyes skyward, he grinned.

_Enjoy the show._

* * *

Aerith, Reno and Elena walked out onto the bridge floor, the inquisitve glances from the others not going unnoticed, but they didn't answer the unspoken questions. They all stayed silent until Yuffie decided to speak up. "You seem awfully happy all of a sudden." She said, jumping up and walking over. "What happened?"

Aerith smiled sorrowfully at the young teenager who was once so energetic. "Rude's alright -- he's with the Planet now and he watching us." He told them exactly what she'd told Elena and Reno only a few minutes earlier and, while they were speechless, she could see that they were happy.

"Well, that's great news." Cloud said, standing and stretching. He walked over to Aerith and stopped just in front of her, a hand on her shoulder and his eyes narrowed. "Now, will you tell me why you're going to Lucrecia's cave?"

"I too would like to know." Vincent said suddenly. Aerith laid her eyes to rest on his face and looked into his eyes. She couldn't refuse him this. She sighed and sat on one of the chair's. They were nearly there -- by the time she'd told them everything, they would be at their destination.

"Well... I think Lucrecia can get me to Sephiroth. To where Toyori and Kayana took him."

They stared at her for a moment and the silence was then broken by both Red and Barret.

"Why do ya want ta' do that?"

"Do you honestly think she will be able to?"

Aerith lowered her eyes. "I... Yes, I do. There's a slight chance she may not be able to but... It's worth checking out. And I'm going after him because I have to, I need to. He helped me so much before now... I have to return the favor right?" She smiled and stood, brushing herself off. She ignored the knowing look from Tifa.

"What if he tries to kill you this time?" Elena asked; she'd been filled in by Reno of everything that had happened in her absence before they'd gone to see Reno. She had been especially shocked to hear that Sephiroth had turned against them.

"He won't." Aerith said. She laughed at herself when she found herself thoroughly convinced.

_You saw what he did... He almost sliced Tifa's throat._

_He believed what they said. He _left_ me._

She shook her head. "He won't. I can get through to him." She turned towards them hesitantly and winked. "You really need to trust me, you guys. I know I've done wrong by you and now one of us is gone but... I really think we can end this now."

They looked surprised.

"What do you mean... End this?" Tifa asked, apprehensive.

"I mean, wherever Sephiroth is... That's where Toyori, Kayana and whomever else is. We can finish this once and for all, can't we?"

The silence that met her was complete.

"We're here, you fuckers. Hurry up if you're leavin--" Cid began, but Cloud cut him off.

"We're all going in, Cid." Cloud said, hauling his Ultima Weapon up from the ground and strapping it to his back. "You don't need to follow but Aerith is going to need the rest of us."

Cid went utterly quiet and Aerith's heart fell to her stomach.

"Ah, what the hell you buncha idiots. I ain't just leavin' ya here." He said, landing the ship steadily before retrieving his Venus Gospel. "Let's get our asses in there and out of there quickly -- and in one piece." He glared at all of them. "I just need to make a call, first." He continued and stomped away.

Aerith smiled and turned to the others, saying she needed to grab something. The others agreed and followed her though the ship until they found their way to their rooms. They needed supplies. Materia, armor, weapons...

They were coming with her. They were going to end this.

Aerith couldn't help but feel happy. Yet at the same time, a sense of foreboding was dampening her mood. She resolved to not let it get at her though and moved onto the room where her mother and Marlene was. Barret was there, hugging his daughter and speaking in a low voice to Elmyra.

"Barret, could I steal my mother for a second?" Aerith asked him, smiling playfully at the young girl sitting on his shoulder. She was so adorable -- and was he ever a great father regardless of his constant absences and his schedule. He nodded and shrugged his shoulders simultaneously and Aerith pulled her mother out of the room.

"I guess he told you." Aerith stated, seeing the look on her mother's face.

Elmyra grasped the young woman's shoulders and Aerith almost pulled away in shock. The anger in her mother's eyes and the fierceness with which she was holding onto her was alarming to her.

"You're coming back in one piece. Both of you." She said.

Aerith's eyes relayed both sorrow and her mixed feelings. Elmyra saw it.

"You will. You will, you will. You must promise me." Her voice had lowered to a whisper and tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. Despite her anxiety, Aerith reassured her mother that she would.

For a moment, she believed it.

* * *

Sephiroth watched with a sullen expression as Toyori and Kayana walked in and regarded him with curiosity. He noticed, unhappily, that they both looked completely rejuvenated -- he could only imagine what that must mean.

"He wishes to meet you." Kayana said, slithering up to him and laying a cold finger on his cheek. He did not flinch, which seemed to please her. Toyori immediately moved to grab her hand and pushed her away roughly.

"Now, now, Kayana. Don't upset our visitor." He grit through his teeth, his expression pained.

Sephiroth knew then that they did not get along at all.

"As if you're going to make him feel welcomed." Kayana spat back.

"Play nice, you two." Another person made their presence known -- a man. Sephiroth looked around with indifference until the figure's shadow appeared in the doorway. "It's nice to meet you, Sephiroth." He said, though he moved no closer. Sephiroth's eyes narrowed in the slightest. Who the hell was this?

"Both of you, I have news." He drawled, motioning to his two companions.

"Hiei, would you just get to it." Toyori said, turning to face him.

The man known as Hiei chuckled slightly and threw something at Toyori, who caught it deftly. He was angered immediately. "You don't just throw this thing arou--"

"I can't deliver it to him -- you will have to. I have something else to take care of." Hiei said, turning smartly on his heel and walking away.

"It would seem we will be having some visitors." He called back.

* * *

"Are we ready then?" Cloud asked the group. Standing on the end of the ramp of the Sierra, the group stood strongly, their faces set in stone.

They all nodded and Cloud led them down the ramp and through the gap between the shining waterfall and the mountain.

Aerith looked on in complete interest. It occurred to them that she'd never been here before.

"Aerith, how do you know about this place?" Red asked.

"Yes miss, how?" Cait added. He'd been silent all day, to Aerith's surprise, but she was extremely glad he was now speaking. It made her feel better knowing that they all weren't hating her for what she was pulling them into.

"I spoke with Lucrecia many times when I was... Dead." She said, smiling at the memory. "We always did have great times -- she was so loving and she has such great character. She told me about this place..."

I'll always be there...

"She told me she'd always be there if we needed her." She finished quietly. "I can only hope that is true."

"Ohhh." Cait said in response.

Aerith nodded and looked over at Vincent. He'd been quiet all day, hadn't spoken save for when she'd mentioned Lucrecia. She could only guess that he hadn't seen Yuffie's face when he'd asked. Something inside of her felt sorry for Yuffie, but at the same time she knew that Yuffie accepted it. Lucrecia was a large part of his life and Yuffie was too good of a person to hold that against Vincent. Or Lucrecia.

Upon entering, she gasped at the beauty of the cave. Lucrecia's descriptions didn't compare to her seeing it up close in person. The waves from behind them only served to make the cave more ethereal, silvery-blue rings were rippling on the walls and the mako crystals on the ground and in front of her made it almost majestic. Now wonder Lucrecia had managed to make this her resting place.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Aerith asked Vincent, looping her arm with his. She heard Cid and Yuffie bickering behind them and she guessed Vincent's ghost of a smile was his reaction to them.

"It is. It suits her." He said. He'd always been able to open up with Aerith -- he was truly glad she was back.

"She always did talk about seeing you again, you know. She really loved you." _Once_. She didn't dare say anymore -- that her real love was for Hojo, who had once been a fine man turned ugly and conniving by science and Jenova's afflictions.

She did love him. She really did.

Just not in the way he wanted; somehow, she knew that he knew that already.

Everyone stopped once they'd reached the crystal. Lucrecia was sleeping eternally inside of it, dressed in a spectacularly white dress, an expression of complete happiness and peace on her face. She saw Vincent smile warmly and knew he was okay. Disentangling her arm from his, Aerith walked up to Lucrecia and placed her hand over the crystal. She could feel everyone's eyes burning into her back, but she firmly ignored them and concentrated on her task.

"Lucrecia...? Please say you can hear me." Aerith whispered, closing her eyes.

Minutes later... And there was nothing.

Not a sound, not a comforting voice.

Her heart fell to her stomach for the second time that day and she berated herself for her foolishness. She'd gone over this with herself, she'd told herself her chances were slim...

She was absolutely devastated.

Letting her hand fall away from the crystal she turned to face the others. "I'm sorry."

_'Aerith...'_

Aerith turned quickly at the sound of the older woman's voice. The raised her hand quickly. "Lucrecia?"

_'I am here, but only for a minute or two. I can't stay much longer.'_

"Lucrecia, please, can you take me to Sephiroth?"

_'I thought you would never come... And never ask...'_

Aerith's eyes lit up but she fell forward slightly in shock as her hand fell right through the crystal.

_'Don't be afraid... There is danger ahead, however. Be prepared. Be quick, though. I haven't much time left...'_

"Why is the Planet not answering my calls?" She asked quickly. Please, please tell me, please...

_'They have stolen it. They have taken it...' _Her voice was frustrated and beyond angry. Aerith didn't need to ask what they'd stolen.

_'You must hurry before they use it. Hurry, Aerith and save my son.'_

"Thank you so much." She whispered finally. She turned to her stunned group members and motioned them towards her. "Hurry." She said, before walking through the crystal, which had now turned into a portal.

The group did not hesitate to follow.

Vincent was the last to leave and only did he hesitate for a split second. The words he heard confused him completely, but he continued on, never once looking back.

_'I'm so sorry...'_

* * *


	30. Heartbreak

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 30 - Heartbreak _

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7, its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

The group followed Aerith wordlessly and breathlessly through the portal to the other side. A few of them stumbled forward, their breath catching in their throats and their hearts skipping a beat.

Having set foot inside of the swirling mass of particles, they felt a pulling sensation -- like they were being ripped from their bodies. Their souls, being torn...

Their eyes scanned the area in silent awe, trying to understand where they were. All around them was a shimmering green glow. Most of them immediately connected it with the Underwater Reactor in Junon. It looked as though they were there, a clear shield of glass separating them from the water.

Only what would have been water, was now replaced with mako.

"Aerith... Are we in the...?" Yuffie began quietly, trailing off.

"The Lifestream?" Aerith finished for her, a grim smile gracing her lips. She walked over to the walls and made to place her hand on it but noticed specks of black covering it. She held back, unsure of whether to touch them. Suddenly, she felt something akin to a whisper. A pulse and slight lick of hot air followed, brushing against her arms soft as a butterfly's kiss. "What..."

"What is it?" Tifa asked, motioning her head towards the mass of black.

Aerith shook her head and backed away. "I don't know, but don't touch them." She looked around some more but her face fell. "I don't know where we are... I can't really even say how we got here..."

_Lucrecia._

"So, if it's not the Lifestream then... Do you think it was an alternate entrance to the mako pools?" Cloud asked, coming up beside Tifa with a worried glint in his eyes. His face was set in stone though and Aerith only then realized that it was because of his leadership qualities. Never look intimidated in front of your team.

Aerith smiled. "It might be. We'll just have to go with it. However..."

"Such a large group couldn't possibly go on unnoticed?" Vincent finished for her, crossing his arms.

"I 'gree with him." Barret said. He immediately coughed and looked away.

Cloud seemed to look to Aerith for confirmation but she simply shook her head. Had they kept a consistent leader throughout -- Cloud, preferably -- maybe things would've ended up different.

"Well..." He said, looking them over. "If we do happen to come up to a fork in the road then we will decide. Right now we should stay together though. If Toyori and Kayana are here... Splitting up could lead to our demise."

Everyone nodded in agreement and Cloud took up the lead, Tifa beside him with a mischievous smile on her face and her hands clasped behind her back. She leaned her head to the side and looked up at him. "I bet you miss the old days."

Cloud sighed and shook his head. "Read me like a book."

"You were born to be a leader Cloud. Don't let Sephiroth intimidate you. You beat him twice -- that must count for something." She said, hitting the sore issue. Ever since Sephiroth had returned and joined their group, she'd noticed Cloud becoming distant in their conversations with everyone, not giving advice as often and just being generally uncomfortable when speaking aloud to them. Almost as though he doesn't want to screw up in front of Sephiroth, she thought, smiling internally.

"I know, I know... But they were sent back for a reason. It just seemed like... I should step back this time." He replied. Brushing past the topic after Tifa's silent nod, he started up a different conversation. "When this is all over..." Before he could finish, Tifa latched onto his arm giving him a reassuring squeeze.

"When this is all over..." She whispered, raising herself up on her tiptoes and giving him a chaste but loving kiss.

Cloud only grinned in return.

Behind them, Yuffie was dancing around with both Red and Cid chuckling at her. Vincent was at her side, smiling discreetly to himself at her behavior.

"They're so great together -- took them long enough, don't you think?" Yuffie whisper-screamed.

"Yeah, next thing you know they'll be on the ground and getti--"

"CID!" Yuffie yelled, hitting him on the head and punching his arm.

"Yuffie, perhaps you should be thinking about yourself and your... predicament." Red said, nuzzling her leg. She glanced down at him, her face turning a shade of noticeable pink.

"I uh... Don't know what you're talkin about... Stop blaming all _your_ problems on _me_!" She retaliated, huffing and turning her head. Of course, unplanned, she managed to set herself up to look right into Vincent's eyes which, to her shock, held a hint of amusement. "Whatcha lookin' at! That was not about you!" She said, turning pinker. "I happen to have a wonderful ma--"

"Haha, Yuf, you're fuckin' hilarious!" Barret guffawed, walking past Yuffie who was sprawled across the floor. "Trippin' over your own feet, all because of tho' thoughts of--"

"GAHR!" Yuffie said, jumping up and onto his back. "Shut up, shut up, shu--"

"Well, well... Visitors are rarely seen here."

Yuffie's eyes flew upward at the arrival of a new voice speaking out above them. "Hey, you're ruining the moment!" She yelled, jumping up and over Barret, landing a little behind Tifa.

She heard Elena's hushed whisper about Avalanche's adventures being amusing and the shuffling of feet approaching her from behind. Looking to her side she saw Vincent, his hand trained on his Death Penalty and Aerith, her expression that of someone very determined. A sinking feeling was forming in her stomach.

"What the fuck do ya want now!" Cid yelled. "Get outta our way. I got somewhere to be." He waved his hand in dismissal and took out a cigarette, lighting it and sighing.

The man before them laughed. "You don't know what you're up against, do you?" He walked into the light slowly, lazily and Aerith suddenly rushed past Yuffie, Tifa and Cloud to the forefront of the group, chanting words unintelligible.

A spell, Cloud realized and he braced himself.

A low whisper was heard before a powerful blast of heat ripped past them with more speed then they could have possibly been able to see. Their their skin tingled and goose bumps ran across their arms. Tifa opened one eye and saw the flames running over and around her, the few licks hitting her cheeks a blessing compared to what could have been. She didn't think, however, she'd been hit with magic so intense.

"What is this?" Elena asked, stumbling back a bit from the force.

"I don't know. Why aren't we being hit?" Reno asked, his arms crossed out in front of him defensively as the attack droned onwards.

"I've seen him before." Elena said sharply. Reno looked over at her and her eyes were somewhat blank, focused on the man.

"Elena?"

_'You'll wish you never pushed your friend aside...'_

"He was... He..." She stuttered. "He held me captive." She turned to face him and grasped his arms, her thoughts of her surroundings far from her mind. "I know where we are!"

They both heard Aerith cry out and faced forward again. Elena moved forward but Reno held her back.

Aerith was laying on the floor, badly burnt. She'd set up a reflect on all of us, Reno thought, keeping it up more effectively around us then herself. The attack had, for now, ceased and Reno watched as black eyes roamed over her in satisfaction. The man's mouth moved like a snakes and it wouldn't have surprised Reno if there was a forked tongue hidden away in there. His unruly hair and crumpled robes moved around majestically as he walked toward her, the same dim glow of the tunnel they were in surrounding him. Immediately Yuffie, Cid and Tifa were in front of her.

Chuckling, he stopped mid-step. "Tell me, " he began, watching the woman struggle to sit up. "How did you come to possess such fine magical powers?"

Aerith merely glared.

"My name is Hiei." He started, turning his back to them and looking skyward. "My magics surpass all of yours... Except perhaps..." spinning around, his eyes pierced her. "Yours, little Cetra." He saw the faint widening of her eyes. "Yes, I know who you are. We all do."

"All?" She asked, finally getting to her feet.

"All." He repeated. "But I'm not here to divulge useless information... You won't need it when I rip your souls from your body."

"You won't get the chance." Elena said, startling a few of her comrades. Hiei's eyes flickered up to her in painstaking slowness and he smiled at her.

"Ah, it is you. How is your little friend?" He laughed hysterically, manically.

Vincent's eyes narrowed. How dare he. Aerith seemed to think the same thing because her hand moved ever so slightly behind her back and she seemed to concentrate hard; her hand began to glow faintly.

A diversion was needed.

Vincent shot forward, the Death Penalty out with such speed Hiei couldn't prepare a defense or counter. Bullets pierced his arm and a shuriken flew towards him. Black eyes narrowed and he caught the shuriken with grace. "He may have caught me off guard," he spoke harshly and threw the weapon right back at her with equal force. "Do not make the mistake of thinking it will happen again!"

Yuffie let out a cry of dismay as she caught the shuriken. The force of the hit forced her back and she executed a perfect backflip to catch herself. "How did you...?" The moment her feet hit the floor she was running forward again, this time with a different tactic.

"I too was from Wutai and trained by Wutai." He answered, swinging himself to a halt. "That was before that bastard Hojo and his assistant Kiyoku locked me away..."

Tifa let out a battle cry and ran forward, a fist flying towards his face -- a fist meant to shatter bones. She gasped when he caught her fists with his hands and swung her around to the wall. He meant to let go of her hands but she tightened her hold on him at the last moment and pulled him back with her. She managed to kick her feet out and kick off the wall, sending him to the ground. She forced her weight onto her hands, crushing him down and also springing her back into the air. Red ran past her, teeth bared and ready to sink into his arm but Hiei moved too quickly and he hit the dirt.

Aerith took his now being in the open to her advantage and cast her spell. A green light materialized in front of her and shot out towards Hiei. If anything, she thought, he was momentarily blinded, leaving room for Cloud and Cid to move in with sword and spear raised on either side of him. To her dismay, he caught them both and flung them backwards. Cid fell back into Tifa and Cloud managed to stumble to his feet.

Yuffie attacked from above and Vincent in front.

Their attacks hit simultaneously and Hiei was hit by both, but he came out smiling. Yuffie made to land on him and spring away but he caught her foot and swung her around into the wall. A dull thud and she was on the ground, unconscious.

Gunshots rang out and bullets cut through the air, Hiei on one end and Elena and Barret on the other. Hiei managed to dodge most and run forward, putting his hand around Elena's throat, pushing her up against the wall while sending a powerful but short blizzard spell Barret's way.

A scream erupted from his throat then and he dropped Elena to the ground. Clutching his head, he had to blink several times to regain his vision.

'So he's weak against Holy,' Aerith thought, breathing heavily from her last cast of magic. Looking to the side, she readied herself to cure Yuffie but saw that Reno was already taking care of it. 'Good,' she thought. 'I can deal with this then.'

The battle continued, many members of Avalanche falling only to be revived again. They dealt blow after blow and finally Hiei moved slowly, energy drained.

Tifa was moving again and she was moving fast, but what she did surprised them all. "Aerith!" She cried, hitting him in succession with her limit breaks.

Aerith nodded. She forced her entire being into the spell and as it's waves of energy rippled through her, she was confident she could get Hiei down on the ground.

A final hit from Tifa signified her cue and Aerith released the magic. As the white orbs fused together and Holy sailed towards Hiei, she knew that he would move in time as he raised his eyes and witnessed the incoming hit. What she hadn't expected however, was Tifa to jump back in and lock Hiei in a poweful hold, keeping him in his place.

She watched in growing horror as Hiei struggled with her, nearly overpowering her, but the previous inflictions had worn him down.

_I'll be responsible..._

_For another's death..._

"Tifa move!" Aerith and Cloud cried out. Cid was holding Cloud back, aided by Red and Vincent.

"Tif, fucking move!" Barret yelled in desperation as she simply continued to stand there.

As the spell connected Tifa smiled and slid her arms, still locked powerfully around him, down to his legs, putting power into her other fist and pushing it deep into the ground. The explosion that resulted forced the entire team back into the wall and Aerith had to cover her eyes.

She could hear Cloud calling out and tears formed in her eyes.

A crack.

When the shock waves settled, she uncovered her eyes and walked through the dust to the center of the battleground. "Tifa? Tifa!" She called, running faster.

"What happened?" Yuffie asked drowsily. Reno hushed her and Cait's usually cheery voice was gloomy as he did so along with Reno.

Aerith nearly stumbled over Hiei's body and she had to jump back a bit.

'Is he still alive?' She thought anxiously. His chest didn't seem to be moving... Walking over to him she leaned down and checked for a pulse, anything to indicate his being alive. Nothing. Not a single thing. Eyeing him carefully, she only then noticed the blood seeping from his neck.

_Crack_.

'That was what I heard,' she thought. 'Tifa did this!?'

"Tifa, no, please!" Cloud's voice was startlingly close to her.

"Cloud?"

"Cloud!"

"I'm here, we're here." He answered and Aerith saw him as the dust cleared. Tifa was laying on the ground, looking nothing short of battered and broken. Aerith choked back a sob. "Don't" Cloud said, looking up at her in agony.

"Is she...?" She asked, shaking her head.

Cloud looked down at her and didn't answer. Her chest wasn't moving, air wasn't being released through her mouth...

The other's watched in sorrow from afar and Cloud hugged Tifa to him and shook his head. "No, no, Tifa, come back to me. This isn't ending like this..." His agonized voice tore at Aerith completely.

_"When this is all over..."_

"Tifa, it's not over, it's not..."

She surged upward as she gasped for breath and her eyes shot open. She pulled away from Cloud hurriedly and he had to grab her by the arms to steady her.

"Tifa, Tifa, oh my god..." He whispered in relief, pulling her back against him. She coughed uncontrollably for a few moments before she was able to calm herself down enough to look over at Hiei. Her lips seemed to curl upwards in the slightest at the sight of him; her attack had connected properly, his head and neck was twisted at an odd angle.

Cloud's name was the last thing she uttered before she fell into oblivion.

* * *

After Tifa had fainted, Cloud gathered her into his arms and walked away from Hiei with a glare of contempt. "We need to get moving. We are _not_ splitting up -- it took all we had just for him."

"I'll say." Yuffie chimed in, carried by Reno. Hitting the wall, her head had begun to bleed. Reno and Cait had managed to stop it before it got any worse, but she was too dizzy and disoriented to walk on her own.

"You alright, girl?" Cid asked, his question directed at both Yuffie and Aerith. Yuffie nodded, but her eyes were on Aerith. The burns she had sustained were bad -- really bad. She couldn't walk very well on one of her legs but she ignored it and moved ahead of the group.

"It doesn't matter right now. We just need to keep going." She turned back to Yuffie uncertainly. "Are you sure you're alright Yuffie?"

Yuffie nodded and slid down off of Reno's back. Taking a few steps forward she smiled and held her arms up. "See? I'm fine!"

"It gets darker up ahead." Elena said, and all eyes were on her. "I've been here before -- this is where they held me. I knew that man, he..." She swallowed. "He was the one who exposed me to the mako."

"What do you mean, darker?" Cait asked.

"There's something similar to a tunnel up ahead... It's not very long and once we're through, we should be in a large open area." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't remember much about it, just glimpses."

"No, that's good." Aerith said, smiling sweetly. "At least we have an idea." She said, walking forward.

The group followed in silence.

"He was damn strong." Barret said quietly.

Yuffie sighed. "I wonder how many of them there are... And who is Kiyoku? Hojo had an assistant?" She looked over at Vincent. "Do you remember Hojo knowing anyone other then Gast and Lucrecia?"

Vincent shook his head. "I cannot remember anyone by the name of Kiyoku... I was never there all the time though... It is a possibility he may have had another assistant."

"Why would he need one?" Aerith asked, as they entered the tunnel Elena had described. It was indeed dark and surprisingly damp. The black specks on the walls were still glowing green in the dark but they were much larger. She wondered what they were, why they were there, but she didn't dare try to find out. The floor was adorned with small puddles of the toxic substance in several different places and they found they actually had to try to get past them.

Eventually, they did and they walked into the open space.

"Do you really think Hojo could ever do anything on his own?" A disgusted voice was beyond close to Aerith and she felt her goose bumps return. Before she knew what was happening, the group was standing in front of her and she was on the ground, Toyori standing over her and smiling sadistically. "I bet you were missing... This." He pulled out the shimmering white orb no longer in Aerith's possession and she backed away.

"Why do you have that...?"

Her friends were approaching him slowly from behind, but they all knew nothing would work against him. She looked at Tifa who was laying against the wall, her head fallen to the side. She's vulnerable, Aerith thought. Who knows where Kayana is...

This was exactly what she'd feared. Getting stuck in a potentially bad situation with Toyori.

"Why... That is none of your business. However... I believe you have lived long enough."

Red surveyed their surroundings. It was almost like they were standing in a dome. The entire room was circular, the mako still floating around them, dangerously close. There was nothing in the room to suggest another opening or exit. Nothing at all.

His eye caught something though... A shadow. He raised his eyes to Toyori quizically. He was standing nowhere near there... Rushing forward, he managed to get over to where the shadow lay and could only watch in satisfaction as it moved and the source was revealed.

Sources.

Sephiroth and Kayana materialized before him and barely managed to escape the winding of blackened wisps heading for him. Kayana frowned in disappointment when her attack didn't reach her opponent. Red growled, bringing everyone's attention toward the two.

Toyori made an odd sound. "Why are you here?" He said, putting emphasis on the "you". It was clear who it was directed at.

Kayana scoffed and walked over to Aerith and her companion. "Making sure you don't screw this up... Again." She smiled at Aerith. "How does it feel," she asked. "To know you are going to die?"

_Again._

Aerith didn't need to hear it to know she was thinking it.

"How about I make this quick and painless?" Toyori said, grinning.

"Don't you dare, you fucker!" Cid yelled, quickly followed by Barret.

"Don't you touch 'er you slimy bastard." Barret growled.

Toyori chuckled and pulled out the small knife in his possession. Sephiroth's voice interrupted as he lowered it to her throat.

"Please... Allow me." Sephiroth said, walking towards them. The molevolent glint in his eyes made Aerith's stomach jolt and her heart fell. Toyori held the blade back from her throat and smiled.

"I guess I could let you... So I guess the question now is, how does it feel to be murdered again by a man you seemed to have grown attached to? The man who killed you once before?"

"Sephiroth, stop this!" Cloud shouted suddenly, paying no attention to his shocked comrades. "Don't do this, you changed. I saw it! You don't want to hurt Aerith, I know you don't."

"Seph..." Yuffie's voice added into the plea.

The group tensed as he paid no heed to their voices and walked onwards.

"Haha, you think he would listen to you liars?" Kayana's voice rung out sharply but Sephiroth and Aerith didn't hear her. Sephiroth unsheathed the Masamune and brought it to her throat.

"You will pay for your lies... With you life." He said.

Aerith fell back, her eyes wide and she heard her friends cry out in shock and dismay.

Sephiroth had spun around immediately to face Toyori and Kayana after saying his part. Toyori had jumped backwards, dodging the Masamune which Sephiroth had swung out towards him in a deadly arc. Kayana, however, did not fair so well. A well aimed punch to her gut and she was on the floor on her knees. His sword pierced her heart before she could do anything else.

Everyone stood in stunned silence.

"You... Lied..." Kayana gasped. "Just like... him..." Kayana uttered, before she fell lifeless to the ground.

"Sephiroth!" Aerith's cry rang out, but she knew she hadn't needed to say anything. His arm flew out and Hiei's magic, followed by Hiei, bounced back off the barrier he'd set up.

"How the hell are you still alive? And what the fuck is going on wit' you, Sephiroth?" Barret yelled in outrage.

Sephiroth said nothing but they all saw the alarm on his face when Aerith ran out to just in front of him where Toyori ran straight for him, double edged sword out and ready to strike. The two blades connected with a shattering clang that had the rest of Avalanche suddenly moving, ready for battle.

"I guess you planned it all, didn't you?" Toyori asked, true amusement in his eyes. He was glowing with the thrill of battle. He moved his eyes down to the Cetra and grinned. "And you..." He raised his knee to kick at her at seeing her hands glowing and her eyes shut in concentration but Sephiroth pushed him backwards. Aerith used that oppotunity to unleash holy onto him and his reaction was that of Hiei's -- he held his head in pain and screamed. "Cetra bitch!"

Sephiroth was on him before he could react and he was thrown into the wall. Landing on one knee, he smirked after recovering his sight.

"I see this is going to be an interesting fight."

"There will be no fight." Aerith said, walking over to Kayana and setting a fire spell on her with the help of Cait. Her body burst into ashes. "Who is Kiyoku?" She asked quietly.

She got the reaction she wanted. His entire body tensed and his eyes filled with rage. Hiei stopped moving at the mention of the name as well and watched Toyori intently.

"Kiyoku... Hojo's assisstant. He's the reason we're _here_."

"Toyori..." Hiei warned.

Toyori ignored him and his hands curled into fists. His eyes turned murderous. "Traitorous bastard involved us in an experiment... One that he said would change our lives." He broke out into laughter. "Little did we know!"

"What did he do?" Cloud asked, stepping forward.

"There were many of us before, you know. Now, we're the only surivors... Back then, Hojo was brought in and Kiyoku told him everything... His plans, his dream, his _experiment_... Hojo worked with him until he knew everything and then disposed of him. I can only hope that was a sickeningly slow death."

"Toyori, do not speak of it anymore." Hiei warned. "You know what will--"

"What could be worse then this? We have been here for decades! DECADES! Finally we can and have left this hell... Take revenge on the Planet, who never once tried to help us. Here we stayed, pleaing and praying for help... We got nothing."

"It couldn't do anything for you!" Aerith exclaimed.

"Once the White Mater--"

_"Silence!" _A deep masculine voice made the room tremble as it shouted loudly and clearly. It filled the entire room and gave the impression of someone talking from all sides of the room. _"Toyori, we will not speak of this now and especially not to them -- your _enemies_!"_

Whoever this is, he is extremely angry, Yuffie thought.

"I am sorry." Toyori answered, though it wasn't very convincing. "Agh!" He screamed, falling to his knees and clutching his head in pain. "Please!"

_"Smash it!"_

Toyori recoiled at the venom in his voice and Aerith could see how frightened he was, regardless of how determined he was not to show it. "Smash it...?" Aerith whispered. A bright shimmer as Toyori pulled something from his pocket. "NO!" She ran forward but Sephiroth's arm hooked around her waist.

Toyori brought his hand down and let the White Materia make an impact with the floor. It smashed into thousands of pieces and Aerith screamed bloody murder.

"What have you _done_!?" She said, clutching her head. She screamed again.

Tifa woke in response to her comrades scream and though her vision swam, she witnessed the white espers flowing from the White Materia's shattered pieces floating into a brilliantly bright hole in the ceiling of the dome.

Aerith's breathing was labored and she managed to break away from Sephiroth's grip. She fell to her knees on some of the shattered glass and picked up a piece. Her head was throbbing painfully, more painful then it had ever done before. "Why?"

_"Thank you, Cetra, for providing us with our freedom..."_ The man spoke enthusiastically and her vision blackened. Before she knew what was happening, she was floating downward, surrounding by something enticingly warm. That was the last thing she felt before she faded out entirely.

"Aerith!" Her comrades called out after her. Sephiroth was over to the hole that had appeared in the floor in an instant and looked down, enraged. She wasn't even conscious.

_"I can't swim..."_

Toyori laughed; his mood had heightened fairly quickly. "So long, buddies!" He disappeared, along with Hiei and the room began to shake.

Cloud had Tifa in his arms and was over to Sephiroth within the second. "We have to go after her!"

Screams from behind them grabbed their attention. Turning they saw mako flowing quickly into the dome. The blackened specks on the wall seemed to have detached from it and attached themselves to their bodies, leaving no boundary between them and the mako.

_"Do not worry about that... I will not let you interfere with our... _My_, plans..."_ His final words were followed with the floor falling out beneath them and they too were lost in a sea of mako.

* * *


	31. All Mixed Up

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 31 - All Mixed Up_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7, its characters, settings or the like. Squeenix does though.

* * *

Bright light was blinding her and she wondered, vaguely, why the curtains were open.

...Curtains?

Aerith's eyes snapped open and she let them wash over the room with a slight questioning in her expression. How was she here? On a bed, in a room, with windows... Memories rushed back into her head and she sat up abruptly to lean on her elbows, shaken. The white materia. It had been... smashed. Hiei... He was still alive. How? She shook her head, none of that was important right now. For the most part, everything around her seemed comforting, safe if not somewhat familiar.

Slight breathing from beside her alerted her to the presence of someone pushed up against her side. She looked down to find a sleeping Yuffie, mouth hung open just waiting for something to fly in with her arms and legs splayed out around her haphazardly. Aerith smiled at the sight and moved to get up.

Her muscles protested with every single move she made and she could feel the burn return to her injuries. The fire that Hiei had conjured and consumed her with had been utterly powerful. She would be lucky to walk away with only a few scars...

"Oh--!" She cried out slightly, only to cover her mouth so as not to wake Yuffie. "Red, I'm so sorry!" She whisper screamed at the feline lying at the edge of the bed, his one eye looking up at her good-naturedly and completely relaxed.

"No worries." He raised himself up and stretched with grace only he possessed before nuzzling her leg. "I am glad you are awake -- we have been waiting for a while now."

"How long...?" Aerith asked curiously, walking over to the window. The curtains were actually closed but they were light enough to have let the light through in abundance. She placed a hand in between the part and lifted it to the side to come face to face with a very calming sight.

"Four days now. Tifa woke up not long ago." He moved his gaze over to Yuffie and snorted, something she rarely if never heard from him. "She on the other hand... Woke up several times, only to fall back asleep after muttering something about..." He stopped and shook his head then. "Not of importance. I suppose you want to see the others...?"

Four days? That was an awfully long time. "Costa Del Sol? What are we doing _here_?"

* * *

Tifa, you could have been seriously injured!" Cloud yelled, the crease between his brows becoming more prominent with each second. He was beyond upset with her over the past events -- how could she possibly have thrown herself into danger like that? How and why? Obviously nothing had come of it, so--

"How was I supposed to know he'd just manage to come back?" Tifa responded, clearly irritated at her motives being questioned. She hadn't really thought about what she'd been doing. She just... Got up and went with it. If she could give Aerith a clear shot, bonus. If not... Well, she didn't really feel like exploring that possibility. "Besides Cloud, what happened happened. We should be focusing on what we're going to do now."

"Already being taken care of." Vincent supplied, stepping out from the shadows. "And I do believe we have a visitor..."

Cloud's tension eased away slightly at the sight of their pink clad companion. "Aerith, you're awake."

She merely nodded. "What's going on?" Her brow furrowed. "How did we get here?"

Cloud sighed. "I couldn't say. All I remember is falling through the floor into the Mako."

"Some passed out. Reno, Elena, Sephiroth and I managed to stay awake and we simply... Surfaced in the ocean just outside Costa. We pulled you all back and had some help to get you in here." Vincent said. Aerith noticed the flashes of emotion that continued to pass over his features. Worry, regret, anger and confusion...?

"Vincent, I looked at Yuffie and she'll be fine, if that's of any help to you." Aerith said soothingly, wanting to lighten his emotional burden. To her relief, his worry faded away and he seemed to relax more than usual.

"So, anyways." Tifa took control of the silence and turned her attention back to Cloud, who was still glowering at her from the corner of his eye. She was touched by his protectiveness but they needed to be doing something more than sitting around now. Something, some plan, was on the move. "Where are the others?"

"Obviously we, as with Sephiroth," Cloud noticed the way Aerith's interest piqued. "Are here. Barret, Reno and Elena went to Kalm to fix up most of the damage with a repair crew sent in by Reeve. They took Elmyra and Marlene back there as well. Cid and Cait went to Nibelheim to search for files on Kiyoku." He sighed and his shoulders sagged. Tifa's face contorted into a frown.

"Have you even gotten any sleep since we've been here?" She began to take notice of the little things, the black circles under his eyes, the way he swayed as he walked.

"He has refused." Red said. "He preferred to stay by your side the entire time you were unconscious."

Tifa stood and walked over to him. "Go and lay down." Tifa said gently, taking hold of his arm. "I'll come with you. We need to talk anyway." Cloud seemed to want to argue, but he relented and began to walk to the bedrooms.

Aerith watched them go, but quickly remembered what she had wanted to ask them while they'd been talking. "Oh, Cloud!" He turned to her and she tilted her head. "Do you know where Sephiroth is...?"

Cloud nodded. "He should be on the beach. He came to check on you a few times and was otherwise there."

Aerith nodded happily and began to walk away when the familiar ring tone of the PHS sounded. Vincent waved her off and picked it up off the table, answering it. She was only too happy to keep walking.

* * *

Barret stood from where he was bent over, picking up the last of the debris from the grounds of Kalm to throw it into Reeve's repair team's chopper. He wiped the sweat off his brow and sighed, moving to plunk himself down onto a bench that had surprisingly remained intact. His heart was hammering against his ribcage from exertion and from the thought of having to say goodbye to his little girl and Elmyra. He didn't want to leave. At all. He wanted to stay for once. The thought of fighting in this battle held no merit for him.

Of course he wanted to help his friends, his family.

Of course he wanted to save everyone's asses again.

But these people were so damn strong. He was actually beginning to doubt whether they would all come back alive.

He'd seen Tifa smash Hiei to the ground, heard the ear splitting crack of the bones in his neck as his fist connected and the blow ensued. Yet he'd been back with as much power as before.

And Aerith. Upon reaching and waking up at Costa Del Sol, he'd watched as Sephiroth summoned all his power to cure Aerith's burns. Not a single spell had worked. Sephiroth was the most powerful spell caster of them all save for Aerith, if not matching her powers. Surely that was a testament to Hiei's power.

Toyori... He seemed _untouchable._ And his rage... His rage was horrendous.

"Daddy, come and look at this!" Marlene's voice squealed, cutting his thoughts from his mind. He looked over and saw her smiling face.

Oh yeah. That's why I'm doing this, he thought.

* * *

"Holy." Elena sighed. She let herself fall down onto the cooling pavement to watch the sun fall. "It's done. Finally _done_."

"I'll say." Reno said, joining her. They both watched as Marlene showed Barret something she'd found on the ground. A crystal, Elena had asked? No. Materia. They wondered over how she found it and where it had come from, but it didn't really matter. When Marlene, the little doll she was, gave it to Elmyra and complimenting on how the crystal suited her because they were both 'really pretty', everyone sighed in contentment and went back to their work.

Leave it to the little one to bring some sort of a light hearted atmosphere to play.

"So. What now?" Elena asked, looking over at Reno.

"I don't know. Follow them, I guess."

They both fell silent. Elena sat up and hugged her knee's to her chest, burying the lower half of her faces into her knees. "Promise me..." She began quietly. "If we do this, if we follow them... You'll be careful. I can't lose you too."

Reno sat up and moved over, throwing her arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. She lay her head on his shoulder and tried to scoot closer, though there was no space left between them. "'Lena, we're going to come outta this alive. We have to. For Reeve, for Rude and Tseng... For _us_."

Elena made no move at his words but the 'us' struck her rather hard.

Us.

"You're not going to lose me and I'll be damned if I lose you. We've come too far and we've been through too much shit together to let it all fall away now. I _love_ you."

Elena looked up at him, shocked.

Love?

Did he really...?

His grip tightened and he searched her eyes for what seemed like eternity before she crumbled. She buried her face in his chest and cried. "I love you too..."

It was strange, Reno thought, how easy that was to say. His life had been nothing but pure hell and he'd fought to keep what was his, taking no care with anything else. He lost himself in alcohol, cigarettes, women... Yet, after everything that had transpired now, he didn't feel like taking that chance.

If he went down, he wouldn't leave her without telling her what he felt but had never cared to say.

Not at all.

* * *

He hadn't been particularly hard to find and for that she was grateful.

"Enjoying the view?" She asked softly, standing just behind him. He was just... Standing and staring. The waves of emotion seemed to just roll off him. She noticed then how angelic he looked. With the sun setting, the few palm tree's around fading into nothing but dark silhouettes against the bright colours and water, reflecting many things with a keeness and serenity only water could master... It was beautiful.

He was beautiful.

Her throat contracted then. These thoughts... They were everywhere these days. Thoughts of him. He never seemed to be out of her mind and she found herself wishing things, wanting things, imagining things. Things she knew he may never be able to give her.

She shook her head and focused on him again. She was slightly unnerved by his lack of response and took a step towards him. He spoke then.

"It is something to be enjoyed." He said quietly, yet she detected the edge in his voice. "You are awake... That is good."

Her eyes dimmed a bit at his distance, his coldness. She felt though, that she deserved it.

She opened her mouth several times, opening and closing, wanting to ask and be answered but not finding the words.

God, why was everything so confusing all of a sudden? Since when did she get fidgety in his presence? When did she become something short of self-conscious in his presence?

When did her heart skip a beat and her stomach perform nervous and excited flips?

"I... What happened? I'm so confused, about everything. I..." She closed her eyes. "Why did you leave? Why did you leave and go with them?"

His voice seemed to pick up and a lightness she'd never heard in him was suddenly there. "I was going to find some answers. Unfortunately... Someone decided to end that fairly quickly."

"Yeah, well... I was worried. I wanted to know why you'd left..." Frustration ripped through her then. Didn't he realize how worried she'd been? How devastated she'd been, thinking he'd actually believed that witch Kayana and left her for good?

"You know, you could've given some sort of warning." She belted it out quickly and with a sharpness she rarely ever heard in her voice. She knew it made no sense -- how was he supposed to have known that would have happened? He simply took the opportunity that had been handed to him and tried to make something of it. Guilt replaced her fury and she turned to him, to apologize, to let him know... Everything, but she stumbled back at the raw emotion she saw in his eyes. He had turned around to face her and she'd not seen, having been momentarily blinded by her emotions. As he began to step towards her she didn't know if she was glad for it or regretted it.

"Warning?" He asked. "You could have stayed out of it."

She narrowed her eyes. "How was I supposed to stay out of it? I thought you actually believed them, I thought you'd actually left me for them!"

He scoffed. "I'm not so easily taken over."

"I didn't know that!" She said in desperation.

"What if you'd been killed? What if Toyori hadn't let me 'kill you' myself?" He asked, trying to hold his building anger back. "What if I'd lost you?"

_What if I'd lost you?_

Five very simple and usually insignificant words, but when she'd had them thrown at her like that, everything that had happened, him leaving, Hiei, Toyori, Kayana, watching him walk over to her and place his plade under her chin with the glint in his eyes... She broke down right there. Tears escaped her and she put one hand on the side of her face.

"I thought _I'd_ lost _you_..." She choked out. "I wanted to make sure -- make sure you were..."

He was in front of her then, his hand moving under her chin and forcing her to look up at him. His eyes softened then and she watched transfixed as he wiped her tears away only to leave his thumb rubbing over her lips ever so lightly. A shiver flew down her spine as she was caught in the moment.

"You'll never lose me." He said softly.

And then he kissed her.

* * *


	32. O fortuna

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 32 - O fortuna_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 -- Squeenix does. xP Didn't ya know?

_Musical Muse - Gravity of Love & Halo_

* * *

One minute her mind was whirling and tears were streaming down her cheeks as she broke down in front of him, in front of Sephiroth. She would never have been prepared for what had happened next and even when it happened, the string of questions that flew by unbidden in her mind were there. Yet she lost herself so easily as Sephiroth's impossibly soft lips descended upon hers and he pulled her closer to him. Her arms wound around his neck as he deepened the kiss and she was completely at peace. Lost in total bliss.

Lost in the moment.

She was kissing Sephiroth.

It felt wonderful, so _right_.

As his hands settled on her waist and crushed her against him, longingly and fiercely, she knew he felt the same.

It ended almost at abruptly as it had happened though, and she was suddenly looking into his confused reptilian eyes. The raw emotion swirling around inside of him was enough to make her dizzy and she swayed a bit. "Sephiroth..."

"I'm sorry." He bit out. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have--"

She watched as he stepped away from her, seemingly distraught over what had just happened.

Sorry?

"Sorry for what?" She asked in nothing less then a whisper. She felt herself shivering then, cold, and she realized the sun was nearly below the water.

That passion she'd just felt, that heat between them -- it was so, so... She couldn't even describe it! She found herself wanting more and it confused her more then anything. Her heart was fluttering at an unbelievable pace and she felt lightheaded. Surely he didn't just regret what had happened?

"I... That shouldn't have happened." He said coldly, immediately distancing himself from her completely. He turned away from her and walked back over to the shore of the beach, letting the water lap at his boots lazily. He was tense now, she saw, and a flood of panic swept through her. He wouldn't use this as a wall between them, would he? He wouldn't just throw it all away now?

"Sephiroth, I can't believe you... Didn't you... Did you feel _anything_?" She asked quietly.

He sighed. "Nothing good can come from it."

"Sephiroth!" She grabbed his arm and turned him to face her. "Everything good can come from it!" She watched as emotion flashed over his face starting with disbelief, then to regret, to fear and finally to his calm and detached expression. "Sephiroth... What are you afraid of?"

He looked down at her then with veiled eyes. "I killed you. How can you just pass it off as nothing?"

"You've changed." She took hold of his hand and watched him carefully. "I told you before, I forgive you. You weren't yourself back then, Sephiroth. You've protected me more times than I can count and you've helped me with things that... Things most people wouldn't be ready to deal with." She smiled then and tilted her head. "You're my stronghold. I wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for you."

He merely watched her with intense interest and a reluctance she felt the need to address.

"If you don't feel the same Sephiroth, that's--"

He caught her in a second kiss then, more passionate then the last. Breaking away, she grinned at him. He leaned his forehead against hers then and uttered the words she'd seen coming.

"I have a lot of problems..."

"We'll work through them."

"They're not going to like this..."

"Does it matter?"

"They're your friends." He said, baffled by her behaviour.

"Look, Sephiroth." Aerith said, averting her gaze and fidgeting with his trench coat. "I want this. The others... They'll be fine." At his skeptical look, she smiled and walked away from him, her hands clasped behind her back. "Trust me!"

She wasn't aware of his lingering smile as he finally accepted her words.

They were both aware of the joy that flowed through them.

* * *

_"Do you realize what you have done, what you have said?"_

Toyori looked on in indifference, trying to hide any and all emotion the words conjured up in his mind. He knew they were talking about his outburst about Kiyoku -- but then, why? Why would they want him to say nothing about the man who'd ruined his -- their -- lives?

_"Why does it matter!?"_

Toyori paled.

Whoever this was, they could read his thoughts.

_"They can figure out things we cannot afford to have them know!"_

A scalding pain ripped through him and he fell to his knees. He kept it in as long as he could, but he eventually let out a bloodcurdling scream.

_"All you need to know is it matters,"_ he stopped abruptly and let Toyori sink down in relief as the pain that exploded through him ceased. _"And you need to get things moving. We haven't much time."_ As an afterthought, he added,_ "That Ancient should be dead."_

"Right." Toyori muttered, standing to his feet but not without swaying a bit. His head throbbed in warning and he hurriedly spoke to correct his mistake. "I will, I will make sure everything's ready."

_"Go."_

* * *

"Yes?"

"Vince? That you?" Cid's gruff voice asked. Vincent closed his eyes.

"I hope you have found something."

"We did, we did!" Cait's voice sounded through the phone eagerly. "We found some things on Hojo and maybe Kiyoku."

Vincent sat and waited. Kiyoku. He couldn't remember a thing about there being another scientist aside from Gast and yet he couldn't be too sure. Something about the name rung a bell. "And?"

"Well... I doubt you're going to like this, but..." He trailed off.

Vincent waited for a moment before the silence became too stretched and deep. "What is it?" He clipped, a sudden urgency in his voice. Flashes of memories were flowing through his head but they were gone before he could even inquire as to what they were.

"There's shit here 'bout Hojo havin some other god damned experiment. Somethin' about a 'worthy apprentice' but he 'knew too much' and some other bull..."

"What does that mean?" Vincent asked, confused.

"...There's somethin about this that ain't right." Cid said and Vincent heard the shuffling of papers. Cait came on a second later, Cid was too lost in his searching.

"There was somethin' about a great entity providing powers for a monstrosity. Differ'nt writin', though. Doesn't look like Hojo's."

Cid was back, and he read out the entire verse for Vincent: "'Coming forth as godly beings, unable to be harmed, the world will plunge into darkness as those lost in the shadows reveal a monstrosity, one provided with powers by the great entity. May he rise without fail alongside.'"

A deafening silence.

"Bring those reports back with you. Aerith might know something." Vincent said finally, not sure what to do, but not wanting to disturb Cloud and Tifa.

"Right. I gotta pick up those idiots from Kalm first."

"Alright." Vincent said, hanging up the phone. He laid it on the table quietly. He faced Red, whose ears had picked up the entire conversation. "What do you think it means?"

Red sat back and scratched his ear. "I believe there is only one person who can tell us."

* * *

"Just relax, Cloud." Tifa said, but Cloud refused to listen to her again. "Just lay down and rest."

She'd led him to the master bedroom, choosing not to disturb Yuffie in the common bedroom. He was pacing now, shooting unreadable looks her way every so often. She knew she only had herself to blame for that -- he'd been beyond angry at how she'd handled the fight with Hiei -- but he needed to let it go. She was here, she was fine... That's all that mattered, right?

"Easy for you to say." He replied grudgingly.

"Yeah, it is. I'm not sure why it isn't for you though." She said, choosing to sit down on the side of the bed. He watched her intently for a second before sighing and sitting beside her. They were both silent for a moment, thinking about different things that had happened, what was to come...

"What if you hadn't lived? Then what would I have done?" He asked quietly.

"But I'm here." She answered back, just as quietly.

"You can't just take chances like that!" Cloud said, rounding on her. "Aerith had a clear shot. If it hadn't hit him, then we would have kept battling."

"And if someone else had died because I didn't take the opportunity that was right in front of me?"

He closed his eyes and ducked his head. A small smile graced his lips. All anger directed towards the brunette woman beside him disappeared like nothing. That was Tifa -- always thinking about everyone else before herself.

"I love you." He whispered to her, putting his arms around her. He felt her tense and wondered if he should have told her what he'd just did, before she went completely lax in his arms.

"I love you, too." She said, tears shimmering in her eyes.

Cloud's eyes softened. He captured her lips with his and they fell into a passionate embrace. Tifa said nothing as he lay her back against the bed, stroking her face, her arms, her hips... The light touches he was leaving all over her body was making her unbelievably warm and the surge of happiness and love the rushed through her made her flush.

"Tifa?" She looked up at him and his heart caught in his throat. "You're beautiful... I love you so much..." He whispered. She kissed him chastely in response and he intertwined his hand with hers, reveling in the sound of her whispering his name.

* * *

_"I'm so sorry..."_

"For what?" Vincent asked aloud. He sat himself down on the edge of the bed Yuffie was still asleep on and let his mind wander. Sorry...? She had done nothing to be sorry for. She'd... She'd been tricked. He was the one that was sorry. He let what happened to her happen.

Yet... There was no guilt there like there usually was.

No depression...

The demon's weren't hacking away at his mind, his soul, like usual.

No, he felt peaceful.

He knew why, too. Looking down at the young ninja, he managed a small smile. Small, but one nonetheless. He found himself wondering, for the millionth time, why. He found himself wondering, for the millionth time, when.

He would never admit to it. Not to anyone, especially not to her. Sometimes, not even to himself. But Yuffie had saved him from a longer life of misery. She'd brought him out of his shell, she'd brought joy back to his life.

Taking her smaller hand in his, his mind drifted off again. He thought of nothing and everything, content to simply sit there.

What would they do now?

There was obviously danger heading straight for them, or were they heading straight for it?

He was unaware of the pair of stormy eyes watching him carefully until the bearer spoke in a voice that not usually heard from her. Her hand slipped out of his and she sat up groggily. "Whatcha thinking about?"

He looked down at her slowly and his eyes probed hers for what seemed like forever. He sighed and stood, holding his hand out to her. "We need to go. Some things have been..." A small silence. "Revealed."

"Let's get the party started, then." She said quickly, jumping up with more energy then one should have ever been able to have after just waking up from a long sleep.

* * *

Aerith waved at her five comrades who were walking down off of the Sierra's ramp and towards her. Elena looked particularly happy, but Aerith figured she knew why and decided not to ask until they had some time to themselves. Reno was walking beside her, his usual grin plastered on his face...

Barret. Aerith's face fell at the expression on his own. She could feel the waves of regret and sadness at having to leave his little girl behind again. They never did get a break, did they?

Cid and Cait looked grave and it caught her attention instantly. Aerith's heartbeat increased tenfold.

"Hey." Cid nodded at her, catching her gaze. "We need to go inside. Got somethin' to share with you."

Aerith watched as they walked away, not wanting to step inside the villa. She felt all the happiness she'd been encased in in the last few hours fade away. Funny how that happened. She heard soft footsteps come up behind her and she forced a smile onto her face, though she knew he would see through it. Turning, she took hold of his hand. "We need to go inside."

Letting her drag him to the villa, Sephiroth looked down at their locked hands. "I doubt they've anything good to tell us."

She sighed upon reaching the door. "I think things are about to get a lot worse." She confessed. She pushed open the door, walked inside and quickly glanced at everyone's faces. The most prominent, she thought, was Tifa's. She was practically _glowing_. Aerith smiled slightly and closed the door after Sephiroth had brushed past her. She spoke up almost immediately, pushing any thoughts of idle banter behind her. "So, what good news do you have for us this time?"

A few smiles surfaced, for which she was glad, but the tension in the air didn't lessen at all.

"Here." Cid said, his mouth set in a grim line as he slid the papers her way. She picked them up carefully and let her eyes roam over the page, speaking aloud so the rest would know what was written.

"'Coming forth as godly beings, unable to be harmed, the world will plunge into darkness as those lost in the shadows reveal a monstrosity, one provided with powers by the great entity. May he rise without fail alongside.'" She fell silent as she tried to process the words. She skimmed the rest but put the papers gently down onto the table. None would help like this would.

"Provided with powers by the great entity..." She said to herself, drowning out the questioning conversations around her, getting straight to work.

_'The White Materia.'_

"Hojo wrote those papers himself and in one of the other reports, he said something about a worthy apprentice of his knowin' too much and there are some diagrams of mako experiments performed on hundreds." Cid supplied.

"Kiyoku? Did Hojo kill him then? Experiment on him?" A voice asked, but Aerith couldn't say who it was. She was completely lost in the words written on the page.

'"Coming forth as godly beings, unable to be harmed..." She continued.

_'The Mako-infused fiends...'_

"May he rise without fail alongside?" She questioned, coming out of her reverie. She looked around at everyone else. "Who do you think that means?"

"Hojo?" Tifa asked after everyone had fallen silent. A murmur of assent from almost everyone at the table was heard.

Aerith narrowed her eyes at the paper. "Maybe..."

_'Worthy apprentice... Knowing too much... Mako experiments on hundreds?'_

_'What does this mean?'_

Her thoughts were cut off as the ground shook beneath them.

* * *


	33. A Sacrifice

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 33 - A Sacrifice_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 -- Squeenix does. X3

_Musical Muse - 'Recollection' from FFXI_

* * *

The quake had shaken the entirety of Costa Del Sol and left many puzzled. It began and ended abruptly, leaving no damage and there was nothing to suggest it was a natural occurrence. Avalanche knew then, what it had been, what it must have been. Cloud simply told them the meeting was finished, as nobody could elaborate on the reports and what it could mean.

"Go and enjoy your short vacation. We'll be out of here soon." He'd said, his mouth set in a grim line.

Aerith could tell he was stressed.

To be quite honest, she was herself.

Almost a week passed without incident. Aerith sulked over the fact that their rest and relaxation was going to come to an end the next day, but her mood lightened considerably as she let her mind fill with the thoughts and the memories of everything she'd experienced over the course of the week. She and Sephiroth had gotten steadily closer and she'd talked to him for hours about her life before she'd first begun her journey with Avalanche. She left no details out, like she had with Cloud, as she knew she could trust him.

She wanted to trust him.

It was considerably harder for Sephiroth to open up to her, she noticed, but didn't let it bother her. He'd had a horrific childhood and didn't want to relive the memories. Besides, and yes, she knew that usually it would help someone to get it all out, it wouldn't help him.

His mind was fragile.

Yet, strong, she thought.

The tragedies of his past were not some fairytale. Regardless of his state of mind, they both knew he would have troubles presented to him that weren't necessary to bring up.

'Why are you thinking about that?' She thought to herself. 'Enjoy the moment.'

She knew she should, but so much was on her mind.

She couldn't focus on the beautiful scene in front of her. Warm colours mixing together with the last haze of the sun as it dipped below the horizon slowly. She couldn't focus on how relaxed her body was because her mind was racing. Sitting in a comfortably fluffy chair out by the ocean with Sephiroth somewhere near her...

Oh, maybe she _could_.

"It's so beautiful." She sighed drowsily, her eyelids drooping every so often. She heard soft footsteps from behind her and then a soft plunk as he sat down in a chair beside her.

"Not like you, though." He said and she could see the image clearly in her head, him smiling slyly at her.

Something she liked about how they'd decided to get together, to pursue that thing between them that was so obviously there. She was finally seeing him. Not the cold, emotionless shadow of himself, but really _him_.

He was sarcastic at times, serious the rest. Yet beneath that... There was something different stirring. He was very...

Her thoughts were lost when he kissed her. God, how she could get lost in the warmth and the passion.

"You know..." She said and giggled when he caught her lips again, this time playfully.

"What?" He asked her and she looked up at him. She smiled and despite all the progress they'd made, despite all the intimacy they'd shared, she felt those butterflies flutter in her stomach and her heart sped up, even if only a little. She knew what it was, why it was happening.

What was she supposed to do?

What was she supposed to say, more like it.

'I'm... In love with him.' She thought. Something she would have to deal with. Not now though, after all of this was over. After she figured out the meaning of the reports. After they defeated Toyori, Hiei and... That man. She shivered subconsciously. Whoever he was... She knew it would cost them to go up against him.

After...

Would there even be an after for her?

Her light mood dwindled down to a depressive hum.

Would... She and Sephiroth be here, together, after?

'Why do you do this to yourself...?'

She realized to late that what she was thinking might be relayed through her expression. Sephiroth's own expression turned somber and he cupped her cheek with one hand, rubbing her lips with his thumb. She wished she could punch herself. She wished she hadn't ruined the moment.

"What?" He asked, the rest layered underneath. She could hear the many different questions behind that single word. She wished he couldn't see what exactly was going through her mind because of her expressions. Yet, she melted at the affection in his voice and his actions and some of that sudden sadness and depression crumbled away.

"Just thinking." She replied, putting her hand over his. Looking into his eyes, she saw he wanted more then that. She sighed and stood up, slowly walking to the shore. "Thinking about... After. What are we going to do? Where will we be?" She consoled her guilty conscience at the fact that she hadn't completely lied to him. She figured he could tell what the rest of the truth was anyway.

She shivered when his arms came around her and he laid his lips against her neck. She wanted to snuggle into his embrace but steeled herself against it.

"What do you want after all this?" He asked quietly. She could feel his eyes on her, awaiting her answer.

What a huge answer, too.

The implications!

"I..." She began, almost awkwardly. It didn't have to be awkward though, did it? She knew what she wanted. She'd figured that out after getting to sit through the flows of the Lifestream, watching over the very alive world with her very alive friends. "I want a home. Somewhere I can finally call home, you know? Elmyra gave me a home, yes, but... It wasn't enough. Selfish, maybe..."

She paused, wondering if she should really be laying all this on him.

"I want to do all the things I've always wanted to do. I want to experience all the things I felt I missed out on, felt regret over before I... Before I died." She felt him tense behind her and laid her hands on his in a comforting and reassuring gesture. He slowly relaxed. "I want love and passion. I want kids."

Her mind whirled as everything she wanted flew past her very eyes.

So out of reach, she thought.

Yet so close.

She stopped and closed her eyes as tears began to gather.

How selfish of her, she thought. She had everything she needed. Her friends, her family, Sephiroth...

She was alive, wasn't she?

But... She knew what it was like to die.

She knew what it was like to die and regret never having taken the chance to do what you wanted. To really _live_.

She opened her eyes reluctantly when Sephiroth placed soft and careful fingers underneath her chin and titled her head up and around to him. Their eyes locked and a sort of understanding passed between them.

Regardless of how the final battle ended.

Regardless of what happened along the way.

They'd be together at the end of the road.

"I can give you everything." He whispered, wiping her tears away tenderly. She'd never seen so much emotion displayed in his eyes before. She smiled tearfully and he smiled back, drawing her closer for a kiss.

"Everything...?" She whispered, amidst it all.

"Everything..."

* * *

The clinking of dishes and cheerful humming was all that needed to be heard to know that Tifa Lockheart was a very happy person. The sudden aura of joy and carelessness was enough to make someone dizzy. Her eyes were brighter than usual and she was bouncing around doing random little things that made everyone else just as happy as her.

Almost everyone.

Cloud was still experiencing a tiny bit of anger towards Tifa's rash decisions on the battlefield but nobody paid much attention to it. It would pass with time, like everything else did between the two lovebirds.

"Fuckin' idiot!"

"Ah, man, that's bullshit."

"Don't swear Barret, Reno." Tifa said sweetly, passing the two beers. They were both getting riled up by the game playing on TV and Tifa swore it was the millionth time she'd asked them to stop swearing.

But did she care?

No. Not really.

"I don't think they can hear you." Elena said, yelling the second last word in Reno's ear.

"Calm down, baby." Reno said, putting her arm around her shoulder.

"What did I just say? You don't even know what I just said!"

Tifa smiled and left them to their bickering, breaking out into a giggle at the last minute when she caught Barret's annoyed glance at the two who were cuddling on the couch.

"You've been quite happy lately." Red observed, standing from his comfortable position laying in the sunlight that streamed through the open windows and walking over to her. He nuzzled her leg and sat beside her, purring lightly when she scratched behind his ear.

"It's contagious." She said.

"Who else is happy?"

"Aerith."

"Ah, yes... Did you see it coming?" Red said, breaking out into a wolfish grin.

Tifa squealed. "I so did!"

"What are we squealing over now?" Cloud asked, walking up from the basement. He pet Red on the head and pecked her on the cheek, sitting on the stool at the other end of the counter.

"Aerith and Sephiroth." Tifa answered.

Cloud scowled and muttered something under his breath.

Tifa ignored it flippantly. "It's so adorable! They're so adorable! I've been waiting for this moment. She was always watching him and she thought we never saw." She caught Cloud's look. "Well, _you_ never saw it."

"We know he never sees a thing, though." Cait said, jumping onto Tifa's shoulder, making himself comfortable while shooting a triumphant look at Cloud.

"I see everyone's against me already." Cloud said, smiling at Tifa. He got up and walked over to Barret, who was again yelling at the TV, only to join him. He planted himself on the couch on the other side of Elena and immersed himself in relaxation.

Tifa was genuinely happy that he was able to.

He'd been working hard lately.

She giggled to herself and was happy that this mood she'd jumped into was lasting.

She had a hard time believing anything could possibly go wrong anymore.

A very hard time.

* * *

Yuffie didn't realize until the moment she looked upon the house that Cid shared with Shera, and now a baby, how much she was resenting the fact that there even _was_ a child. How scared she was of seeing Cid fuss over and throw attention to another -- his real kid -- while leaving her behind.

It was funny, she decided.

Funny how she'd grown so attached to Cid and taken it further so much as to think of him as her father. She _had_ a father in Wutai. She never forgot about him and she never wished he weren't there, but the fact of the matter was that he really just didn't care about her.

Not in her eyes, anyway.

And maybe she didn't care either.

He'd sent her off and around the world at a young age, with promises of a better life, a better home, only to be kicked out and into another house, only to have everything she worked so hard for for him sold and instead used on himself, the selfish bastard.

It happened agonizingly slow. Walking across the town, trying to keep up with Cid's excited yet nervous pace, to a house she wished wasn't existing.

She thought, finally, she'd found something.

Someone to finally look after her, even if only a little.

'He has a wife,' she reminded herself. 'A wife and a child.'

She steeled herself as she walked through the door.

"Shera?" Cid called out and Yuffie could hear that tremor in his usually calm voice.

"Cid!?" Shera called back instantly. A quiet thump and hurried footsteps was all Yuffie heard. She didn't see Shera throw her arms around Cid and pull him into the other room, heedless of her presence.

'It's her house, idiot.'

She stood around for a couple of minutes, taking in the appearance of their house before she sighed and walked back out the door. She took a look at the gorgeous blue sky above her and wondered why she'd decided to fly about it with Cid, to come here. Curiosity, maybe. To see how Cid would react. She'd always managed to picture him having a kid or two, but with a lot of swearing and influences on the child that Shera would disapprove of and hit him over the head for.

She smiled lightly and walking casually around the town.

It wasn't bustling and hadn't expanded by much. Midgar's refugee's seemed to like their own continent.

It seemed like forever had passed and it seemed like she'd walked in and out of every shop in the town before she decided she needed that thrill of a battle. There was no hesitancy when she walked out of the town and down to the beach. She walked around the soft sand, whistling and singing to herself, trying to attract some fiends' attention.

She was beyond happy when a crowd of three of four fish-like ones she couldn't remember the name of raced towards her. A rush of buried anger overtook her and she charged at them, her shuriken and kunai out in the blink of an eye, cutting them to pieces or stabbing them right in the heart with a passionate cruelty.

Her heart was pounding against her ribcage after she'd taken on and out at least twenty odd ones that happened to pass by her.

She fell down on the sand and held her head in her hands.

This was about a lot more than Cid, she realized.

It was about Vincent too.

She'd seen his hesitance and she'd seen the sudden longing for Lucrecia when they'd been in her cave. Walking through that waterfall had been surprisingly hard on her. Unfamiliar feelings had developed for Vincent over the last month's they'd been together. She'd brought out that side of him that almost nobody else got to see and they'd become closer. She learnt a lot about him.

And in the blink of an eye, or rather, a walk through a waterfall, she could sense rather than see him revert back to something of his old self.

Vincent had been the last to walk through that portal.

Something told her she didn't want to know why.

"This life is so screwed." Yuffie sobbed. Tears had trailed down her cheeks, unbeknownst to her. Everything was catching up with her now. Both Vincent and the new child were awakening insecurities Yuffie thought she'd cast away years ago.

"_I'm_ so screwed." She whispered in her solitude, letting the dam break free.

* * *

Elmyra watched with no particular interest as the inhabitants of Kalm struggled with their belongings and large objects, trying to clear out some of the debris left behind. She knelt down and picked up a small jewel that she'd caught her out of the corner of her eye. Dirtied and dusty, she let the pad of her thumb wipe off the mess and let her eyes roam over now shimmering diamond tear-drop. She frowned.

It looked oddly familiar.

She slid it into the pocket of her worn skirt and went over to Marlene who was sitting on the gravel, staring up at the sky.

She'd seen that look before.

That expression of longing.

"They'll be back, sweetie." Elmyra assured her, stroking her hair.

Wide innocent eyes searched Elmyra's own uncertain and fearful ones. Marlene shook her head and looked at the ground. "I want Tifa..." She said, tears brimming and voice shaky.

Elmyra wrapped her arms around the girl and rocked her, placing her own eyes on the stars that were beginning to show themselves above her.

Something inside of her... Was unsettled.

Something was not right.

'Come back safely... All of you.'

* * *

Frozen mako hung from the ceiling and the droplets that continuously fell from it was forming a large puddle on the floor, filling the end of the room with an eerie yet comfortable glow, as there was no other light in the small cave. The floor was cracked in various places, making it hard for Toyori to pace any longer, so he simply stopped and stood off on the other, darker, end of the room. He watched silently as Hiei sat in the middle of the puddle, lost in his own gloom and depression, picking at his skin, wondering and asking aloud if he was really there, really alive.

Toyori had to wonder about that one too.

Were they really alive anymore? He looked down at his own skin. Or were they simply forms created out of mako and other senseless things only they're proclaimed 'creators' would ever think of adding to the human body and soul?

Oftentimes, he wondered why Sephiroth was superior to him.

They both had similar characteristics, that was for certain. Their treatment had to have been something of the same.

'Maybe it's because you had that screw-up Kiyoku work on you.' Toyori thought. 'Sephiroth only had Hojo -- you had both.'

Toyori snorted. 'Kiyoku.'

That rush of hatred that always seemed to follow with the thought or mention of the mad scientist didn't come this time and he thought he knew why.

'That Ancient's getting to me...'

And it was hard not to listen and believe her words. She seemed to be the only one who had even an inkling of hope for his, no, their sanity. Her eyes had been filled with sincerity when she told him the Planet hadn't been able to do anything, especially not while he was incased in mako.

Although, her friend's death would've hindered that faith, he supposed.

He had to shake his head clear when his thoughts wandered beyond her seemingly wanting to save them.

Toyori's eyes narrowed as he heard incessant scratching. "Hiei, your skin is better covering your body."

A sigh.

"What are we going to do now?" Hiei asked, letting his guard down for the first time in a long time, sagging against the wall and letting the Wutain accent of his show through.

That was the only reminder they had that they had indeed been human beings before. Humans with normal lives.

Toyori had no accent, being from Icicle Village. Kayana had had some Costan feeling to her voice.

He felt a swell of emotion in his chest then. Kayana. Regardless of how they got on each other's nerves, he would never had wished her dead and he really wished, especially now, that she wasn't, even if only for the extra company.

Hiei, being the oldest of the three, had always kept to himself and left himself and Kayana go off on their own to do what they pleased. Though over time, they'd formed a sort of bond and had stuck together through the nightmares, the torture...

The pain.

'I guess you can't really say we're all heartless then...' Toyori thought, scuffing the ground with his foot. 'We could still be free... Couldn't we?'

_"Both of you, it is time!"_

Toyori winced instinctively.

_"We will not fail."_

Toyori and Hiei exchanged one last glance before they disappeared from their hiding place.

_"Or you will pay for it with your lives... Assuming you're still around."_ The voice added once they were gone, cackling manically.

* * *

"These burns are still pretty bad..." Sephiroth murmured, not being able to hold it in any longer. Just seeing the once flawless skin of hers so scarred, and all because she was trying to find him, well... It was saddening.

And in a sick and twisted way, it was touching.

"It doesn't hurt that much anymore... It did, oh yes, it did... But not anymore." Aerith answered drowsily, letting her head roll over so she could look at him. She smiled and he reluctantly smiled back.

Within a few minutes she was asleep and the sun had finally set. All that was left was the bright moon and the twinkling stars watching over them.

He fell then, into a deep and dark part of himself.

He shouldn't even be _near_ her.

He shouldn't have ever kissed, hugged, touched her!

He was monster. Nothing good came from it. From him.

And yet... Whenever they did touch, he felt so exhilarated and accepted.

But... He would hurt her in the end.

Hadn't that always been the way of things?

He groaned and lay back on the chair beside her, content to let his arm rest over his eyes. He willed his body to relax from it's tense state and tried to force away the tingling feeling as the hairs on his neck stood. Why could they not just enjoy life? Would there always be this madness following them? Following Avalanche? This vacation was nice...

But it shouldn't have had to be a vacation.

He sighed and once again, tensed, as he heard someone running towards them.

"Sephiroth!" Tifa whisper-screamed as she ran past him to stand in front of him. He relaxed instantly. "You should came back inside." She noticed Aerith then and let out a squeal of delight.

"You're far too happy." Sephiroth said, smirking.

"Are you wishing ill things on me again?"

"Again?"

"Again!"

Sephiroth's ears perked a bit when he heard a yell come from the villa. Tifa shook her head, smiling. At his questioning gaze her smile brightened. "They're far too into the game."

She fell down onto the grass, a little ways away from the labelled 'cute pair' and looked up at the stars, her eyes glittering. Sephiroth smiled, glad she was happy. Their friendship -- and he was glad he could call it that -- had grown throughout the last month or two they'd been around each other and he was glad she was here and so happy.

Even if it was generally Cloud's fault she was so happy.

"So..." She said, looking at him from the corner of her eye and grinning. "How are you two!?"

He grimaced on the inside. If he knew her, which he presumed he did know her enough, he would want to avoid this conversation. As the fates had it, she was happy, happier than usual and would probably not be backing down on this particular subject this very night.

"We're..." He struggled to find the words to describe it. He could lie to her and say everything was fine, but that wasn't truly how he felt. He didn't think he could and should lie to her either. "I don't know." He replied honestly, dipping his head slightly.

She frowned, but asked kindly, "what do you mean?"

"I mean..." He started and paused.

'I mean I think I... I think I love her. How do I tell her? How can I tell her? I'm no good for her and what good would come of it anyway?'

"I'm not used to this." He said finally, taken aback by the emotion and... Sudden forthcoming towards this girl he'd once almost killed.

"Most aren't I guess... I mean, it's hard. What do you do, right? What do you say..." She contemplated her own words. "But I think if it's really there, if it's meant to be... It'll happen. And it'll happen right." She smiled slyly at him, standing quickly. "I think that's what you two have."

Sephiroth lowered his eyes. He found it hard to believe and yet he didn't. He was beyond confused.

Damn, being human was difficult.

'Better than Jenova.' His conscience reminded him.

Conscience.

He snorted and Tifa looked at him, the corner of her mouth tweaking upwards. "Snorting, General?"

"It would appear so."

The slam of the villa door behind them indicated that they would be yet again blessed by another presence.

"Reno, what're you doing out here?" Tifa asked and looked at Sephiroth. She frowned when she saw his emotionless mask was set upon his features, but said nothing.

"Fuckin' game." He muttered and that was all they needed to hear.

A long silence ensued. It wasn't uncomfortable though and Tifa was glad for it.

"We--" She began, but was cut off when the ground began to shake beneath her feet. "Oh!" She shouted in dismay, almost losing her footing. Reno grabbed her arm though and threw his bottle of beer to the ground, steadying the both of them.

Aerith woke then, to her head pounding. "What's going on!?" She asked, ignoring the pain.

Sephiroth didn't say anything, merely looked at the water.

"Sephiroth, what is it...?"

"Stay here." He said curtly, coldly and they didn't protest. He stood and walked to the water's edge, looking down at it intently, trying to see past the darkness. His eyes could only do so much though and he simply gave up, turning and walking back to them.

At that very moment, the water rushed past his feet and over to roughly about where Tifa and Reno were standing. Waves began to form, growing larger every second that passed.

"What the..." Reno said and snapped his head around to the villa when the door clicked open. "Get inside!"

"Move back now!" Sephiroth yelled. "All of you, move!"

His words came too late though, and the waves grew larger in size, far too fast to be natural. Sephiroth was barely at their side when a huge amount of water raised up and over the four's heads, engulfing them. The water quickly rushed over the sandy beach and partway up the stairs leading into town.

Tifa surfaced first, sputtering and trying to push the hair out of her eyes. She was immediately glad she had bought some new clothing upon arriving and had dressed in a dark blue t-shirt and khaki shorts that fell to just below her knees. She didn't think a miniskirt and skimpy white tank top would survive in these unbelievably raging waters.

"Aerith! Sephiroth! Reno!" She called before she fell under the water. It was rising steadily higher... Or was it just the waves? She let out a short and barely audible scream as she broke the surface again.

"Tifa!"

She turned her head to see Sephiroth, who was holding Aerith, swimming away. "Swim! Swim to the villa."

"Where's Reno!?" She screamed back, panicking.

"Here."

She screamed when his hot breath touched her ear. "Reno, don't!"

"Come on." He urged.

The made it to the villa, where a thoroughly upset Cloud and Elena were waiting.

"God, are you alright?" Elena asked Reno worriedly, her eyes sweeping over him.

"I'm fine, I'm fine..."

"Look!" Cait Sith piped up, pointing to a spot in the distance behind them.

They all turned and stared in astonishment as a huge shadow raised out of the water.

"What is that!?"

"I can't even see what it is!"

Aerith turned to Sephiroth and grasped his arm. "What do you see?" It was timidly asked, like she didn't really want to know.

"It's too dark to see anything other than it's silhouette." Everyone was listening to him now, he noticed.

"He's right." Vincent and Cloud said. Sephiroth's eyesight was better than their's, yes, but they were still able to see fairly well enough in the darkness thanks to their mako orbs and bodily construction.

"What's that glow, then?" Elena asked, pointing to the top right of the shadow. Reno squinted his eyes and tried to make out what or who it was, but with no luck.

"What if it's Hiei? The water... He could be the reason it's...?" Red began, but stopped.

"You could be right... But can you control water?"

Aerith shook her head and looked over at Tifa, biting her lip. "You can't control it. You can add more to it though..." She shook her head and water droplets flew from her hair, landing on Red's nose. "We don't know what he's capable of, what we witnessed before could've only been a fraction of his abilities."

"Duck!" Cait screeched, jumping onto Aerith's shoulder and curling himself around her neck.

They all fell to the ground, covering themselves and an explosion rocked the area around them. Aerith looked up and her eyes flashed red, a reflection of the large fire consuming two or three buildings. She let out a cry and stood quickly.

"Ah, Cetra... Enjoying the party yet?"

She felt someone try to roughly pull her back towards the group but she dug her heels into the ground and managed to stay standing in front of the levitating Toyori. She met his eyes with a mixture of determination, fear and confusion. "Why are you doing this?" She recoiled slightly when another spout of fire formed at his fingertips and he threw it over their heads, past the villa, to the brush surrounding the entrance.

"Have you not yet figured it out?" He laughed. "Ah, dear, you are one I wish I could have saved from this fate... However, being the one so closely tied to the Planet, we'll never have that chance." He moved forward quickly and took hold of her chin. "I'm sorry to see a prize such as yourself, wasted..." His eyes roamed her body slowly, agonizingly slowly, before he let her go and kicked off into the air. A few more blows to the town and he was gone.

"We need to move!" Cloud yelled. "Get out of the town, now!"

Aerith stood there stupidly for a moment, gazing off after Toyori before she asked the group if they had a PHS.

"A PHS? Why would we want a PHS now!?" Cait's voice squeaked in her ear.

"It's gone." She whispered, forgetting about the destruction around her momentarily. "How can something that big just disappear!? And without a sound!" She screamed angrily. She took the PHS held out to her by Tifa and started running from the falling debris. Smoke billowed out and around them and the screams and moans of those burning in their homes and on the streets met her ears. A tear trailed down her cheek and she fought the healer's instinct to stay and help.

There was nothing they could do for them. Most were already dead and those not would be in seconds.

Getting past the smoky and flashing entrance wasn't a problem and once they were outside, Aerith fell to her knees, along with a few of the others. Elena, Red and Cloud were coughing like there was no tomorrow and Tifa was just walking silently away, staring at the stars.

Aerith got up and followed her, leaving Sephiroth and the others to tend to themselves or watch as they simply walked away.

"Hey..." Aerith spoke up quietly and touched Tifa's arm in a loving gesture.

"I feel so queasy..." Was all she said.

Aerith frowned and hugged her. "It's probably just because of what you just saw..." Maybe it reminded her of Nibelheim. It was a reasonable reaction, she thought, but they'd all seen death and destruction before.

Tifa gave her an undecided look before sighing. "How did it just disappear like that? It was huge. I mean, where did it go?" She kicked at the ground with her foot and raised her arms into the air. "I knew it was too good to be true, and now those people..." Tifa's voice shook but Aerith watched proudly as she steeled herself against falling apart.

"I know..." She said, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"We should phone Cid and Yuffie... If they don't already know, well..."

Aerith nodded. "You're right. Now come!" She said, taking hold of both of her hands and pulling her back with her. Leaving her with Cloud, she walked a ways away from the group and tapped down on Cid's button. At no response, she dialed up Yuffie.

Again, no response.

"I can't get a hold of them..." Aerith said to Sephiroth, whom she knew was standing behind her now.

"Just keep trying."

"Easy for you to say."

She looked back at the destroyed town. The water had flown back out of the town and was calm once more, but that did nothing for the fire. The flames were springing higher and higher into the air and Aerith closed her eyes slowly, trying to block it out.

'Sacrifices had to made.' Her mind told her, chided her almost.

'Don't let the sacrifice be made in vain.'

* * *


	34. Broken Souls

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 34 - Broken Souls_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

_**Musical Muse** - Jon Schmidt: Waterfall & Gackt: Rain_

* * *

The dial tone was too much to listen to this time. Letting her PHS fall into Sephiroth's hands, Aerith let out a cry of frustration and anger.

"Figures." Sephiroth muttered from behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her to him protectively, eyeing the PHS. The question of why Cid and Yuffie weren't answering their phones ran through both their minds, but they kept it to themselves all the same. Aerith sighed and leaned her head back so she could look into his face. She smiled even though she felt completely helpless and in despair.

"What figures?"

"That this would happen." He ended his statement with a taunting kiss along her neck.

"Stop that!"

"Why?" He grinned.

"Well--" Aerith began, but paused. The flames were dying down a bit now, thanks to Cloud and Reno, but that wasn't what caught her attention, not what she was staring at the flames so intently for. "Do you hear that?" She whispered to Sephiroth and he just barely picked her words up. They stood ever so still and tried to hear -- once again and for the first time -- for whatever Aerith had, or thought, she had heard.

It took a moment before Sephiroth was striding away from her and into the flames. Quickly.

"Sephiroth!" Aerith called out a little too late. She huffed anxiously and watched for him to return. She wasn't very worried, she knew he could handle a little heat.

She suddenly noticed Tifa and frowned. Still walking aimlessly, she was just staring into the night sky lit brilliantly with shimmering stars. That was one thing you could associate with Tifa, she thought. Stars. They were a part of her childhood, her eyes, her life. And water.

How random.

She fidgeted. Okay, maybe she _was_ worried.

But she shouldn't have been.

Sephiroth walked out with the grace of an angel, like there were no flames behind him at all. One thing was different though, the one thing distracting her from the utmost ethereal picture of Sephiroth walking towards her.

He was carrying something in his arms.

_Someone_.

Aerith let out a yelp of surprise and ran over to Sephiroth. "Sephiroth, oh my dear Gaia." She held her arms out and he passed her the child, ready to get the poor thing out of his arms. She gasped and tears came to her eyes, but they luckily didn't spill over. The child was still breathing, thankfully. She blinked a few times and started to look him over. There were burns on the side of his face and along his right arm, but he'd been lucky. He was barely scathed, for all that could have happened. He was wearing dark clothing that hung loosely on his body and he had short brown hair. She couldn't place how old he might've looked and decided to stop worrying about his age and worry about his condition.

"He's a lucky one." Cait said, waddling over to them, Red in tow.

"Oh my god, Aerith, is he alright?"

"Of course not." She snapped. Tifa and Sephiroth looked a bit shocked -- more Tifa, though -- as she turned right around and went back to work without saying another word. Aerith felt guilt gnaw at her as she healed the boy laying in front of her. She was just so tired and all of a sudden she had the urge to hit something. It was unlike her, but she justified it by telling herself an entire town had just gone up in smoke, probably because she and the others were there.

And why weren't Cid and Yuffie answering the phone?

In that second that all those thoughts ran through her head she gasped and jumped away from the boy.

She fell into a sculpted body and she felt Sephiroth's hands on her arms. "Aerith?" His concern would have been heartwarming, but in her sudden state of panic it hardly registered with her. His voice went in one ear and out the other as she managed to gasp something.

"I can't... See!" She put her hands on the side of her head as a huge wave of pain exploded through her. She moaned and her knees buckled underneath her. Sephiroth gently lowered her to the ground as she doubled over in unimaginable pain. Her entire body was shaking with uncontrollable spasms and she could hear nothing.

It was like her body was shutting down.

* * *

"What's happening to her!?" Tifa nearly screamed, rushing over to Sephiroth. Vincent was at her heels.

"I don't know." He muttered, placing his hands over her on the sides of her head. Panic laced through him and the thought of losing her ran through his head over and over, but he remained calm on the outside. A warmth coursed through him and into her as he uttered the incantation for a powerful cure spell. All the tension left her body then as she surrendered to the taunting darkness of sleep and she crumpled forward. Sephiroth wound an arm around her chest and held her upright. Her head lolled back to rest on his shoulder and Tifa felt tears forming in her eyes.

There was absolutely no colour in the flower girl's face.

It reminded her too greatly of Aerith's death and Tifa had to leave, unable to look at her any longer. Sephiroth watched Cloud, who was done with the flames, take her arm and lead her over to the now unattended boy. Cloud's eyes flashed back to Aerith, worry greatly consuming him, but he merely gave Sephiroth a sympathetic glance before he tended to Tifa.

Tifa thoughts were buzzing in her head as she literally fell to the ground beside the boy. She took his face in her hands and started to heal him, trying to ignore Cloud's soothing voice, trying to block out everything that had happened all in the one night.

She focused on the boy.

"Come on now, wake up sweetie..." She murmured. After a few minutes of no response and healing that rendered his skin flawless, she sat back, shoulders drooped and face set in an almost permanent expression of grief.

She jumped when the boy sucked in a huge breath and sat up with incredible speed. "Fire!" He screamed and his face crumbled as tears streamed down his face. He threw himself at Tifa, wrapping his arms around her and sobbing into her chest. She recovered quickly from her surprise and wrapped her own arms around him, whispering the same words to him over and over again. She didn't know if she was really trying to soothe the frightened child or herself.

"It's alright, it's alright, it's all over..."

He coughed a couple times and looked up at her, disoriented. "Who are you?" His voice cracked and his eyes started to close from exhaustion.

"My name's Tifa..." She smiled, trying to reassure him. "You're safe now."

"I'm..." He all but breathed the word before he fell into her and quieted.

She heard a whisper of a name before he'd fallen asleep.

_Denzel_.

* * *

Vincent stood idly beside Sephiroth, wondering what to do with himself. He felt torn -- he had an obligation here, to his friends. And yet, Yuffie was off somewhere and nobody could get a hold of her. Had something happened to her? Had something happened to Cid? Shera? The baby?

For the first time in a long time, he felt that first sprout of worry plant itself in his stomach.

'Host,' the demons inside of him rumbled. 'You've done it again.'

'Nothing good can come of this!' Death Gigas taunted, throwing images into his mind of Lucrecia, crying out for her son, Hojo standing over him with a needle full of Mako and who knows what else. Painful memories, that would have hurt him any other time had his mind not been filled with the thought of what could have happened to the young ninja and the chain-smoking pilot.

'Silence, heathen!' Vincent roared in his mind. It was in vain though. He knew there was almost nothing that could shut the demons up for long.

'So what do you think happened to her?'

'Death?'

'Torture?'

The demons laughed cruelly and in unison they cheered in his head.

It was then Vincent noticed Chaos had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal. He managed to back the demons into a corner of his mind, secluded and away from his thoughts, and he called out to the missing entity. 'Chaos?'

A slight rumble.

'Why do you stay silent, demon?'

A feral roar.

Vincent was bewildered. What could have Chaos in such a state? He, generally, was the one leading the pack in their daily jeers at him and his past. He shook his head clear and, ignoring them all best as he could as they filtered back into the front of his mind, dialed a number on the PHS while walking silently away from the despairing Sephiroth.

He listened to the constant ringing numbly.

* * *

Yuffie watched her phone ring and ring and ring. The sound seemed so foreign at that moment, after she'd cried a billion tears. Her head was swimming with muffled noises and she could feel a headache coming on. It had also gotten steadily darker -- but she felt no real need to get up and so she merely sat there, in a trance-like state, letting the cold wind beat at her mercilessly.

'Now, what did any of that do for you? Crying like that? For what, you big baby?'

She felt guilt wash over her and more tears pricked her eyes.

'I just left Cid there.' She squeezed her eyes shut and let out more tired sobs. 'I didn't even go and see his kid... Is it a boy or a girl?' Her heart clenched painfully and she swung a fist down into the ground, letting out a scream. She fell backwards onto the ground and just lay there.

She looked up at the sky, feeling the days hardships wear further down on her. Her eyes searched the sky for what seemed like forever and more tears spilled over when she couldn't find or feel what she usually could when looking up at the darkening sky filled with sparkling stars.

'Mama, have I dishonored you?'

Something tore into her then.

Literally.

She screamed as the teeth of an unseen and unheard fiend bit her, tearing her flesh apart ruthlessly. Blood started to run down her side as she ripped herself free. The momentum she gained from the spin and the weakness of her body caused her to tumble and she fell to the ground in a heap.

'God, that hurts...' She thought and turned in such a way that she could inspect the damage, all the while keeping the yellow eyes of the fiend in her sight. It's eyes were glowing, taunting, _got you_.

She had no cure materia on her. A single potion.

Panic rushed through her, mixed with adrenaline.

'A potion isn't going to help me!' She screamed at herself frantically. 'Uh oh... This is bad...'

She stood, shakily, and the fiend jumped forward a bit. She faltered, one, two steps back and her vision blurred a bit. She was losing a lot of blood fast and when she felt a searing pain jolt through her quickly she knew she was poisoned as well.

"Gawd, you stupid thing!" She yelled at it. Her Conformer was on the ground somewhere, but she couldn't see it...

Then, a second pair of eyes appeared, right beside her. She muffled a scream and ducked when it jumped at her. It missed her, but just barely. She wasn't too happy with that fact.

Another misfortune: the second fiend was glowing.

"A Mako fiend!?" Yuffie asked, not really a question. "Crap!"

"Hey, no swearing!" A voice called from behind her. "That's my job!"

Yuffie, distracted, turned her head to look in his direction. Snapping back into reality, she quickly turned back around, prepared for an attack, but what met her confused her greatly.

There wasn't a fiend in sight. She blinked once, twice, before she turned to face Cid. She bit the inside of her cheek as the movement caused a flood of pain to course through the side of her body. "Why'd you run off kid? You didn't even stay to see the fucki--" He stopped short rather abruptly and Yuffie guessed he somehow saw her wound. The blood had soaked the entire right side of her shirt and it was beginning to roll slowly down her shorts and legs, some oozing onto the ground.

"Fuck! What'd you do to yourself now, kid!?" Cid cursed, running the rest of the way towards her. He leaned down to look as best he could, for whatever reason Yuffie didn't know, before he asked her if she could lift her arm. She nodded slowly, stumbling as her vision blurred again and the weakness in her body became appallingly real to her. "Wow, stay standin'!" Cid said and she could hear the concern in his voice. When she'd lifted her arm, he slowly pulled up her shirt, exposing the side of her body and swore once more before letting it fall back.

"Do you have a cure on you?" He asked.

She shook her head no. "Just a potion. Cid--"

"Fuckin' god damn. I have nothing!"

"Cid!" Yuffie's voice turned serious and she tried to lock gazes with him. "There was... There was a fiend..." She said, gasping for breath. She didn't know if she was just imagining it so and her body was responding or if it were actually happening, but she was becoming short of breath. "A fiend and a..."

"Fuckin' shit."

"A Mako fiend, Cid... There's a fiend here... Somewhere... Shera... The baby..."

Those were her last words before she fell into darkness.

* * *

"What do you think happened to her...?" Elena asked, sitting in a circle with Reno, Red and Cait. They'd stayed off to the side, Reno joining the three after he'd helped in putting out the flames. When asked if there were any survivors, which they all knew the answer to anyway, and he shook his head, they had fallen into a grievous silence.

Her thoughts drifted to Rude... And pain flashed through her head, her heart beating rapidly. She forced tears down -- there'd been enough spilled today -- and sat moodily beside her friends.

"I don't know... I hope she's okay..." Cait replied sullenly, his ears drooping sadly.

"Aerith is a fighter... She'll be fine." Reno said in an attempt to soothe Elena's doubts and worries. She merely glanced his way tiredly.

'Grandfather,' Red thought, laying his head on his paws. 'Let us be safe. Let this danger pass swiftly.'

Reno pulled Elena over to rest against his side and she fell asleep almost instantly. They fell into a comfortable silence, letting the remaining smell of smoke and the ashes that fell on their head motivate them to find whoever caused such destruction. Find them and destroy them, once and for all.

* * *

Tifa had sat in the same spot for the last hour, watching everyone else mill about uselessly, unsure of what to do without Cid and Yuffie. The boy, Denzel, was sleeping soundly in her arms, worn out, and as the darkness began to gather around them, Cloud had wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his warm body and they started talking about anything and everything.

"What do you want to do when this is all over, Cloud?" Tifa asked. She'd been wondering what would happen to them after everything and especially now that their home had been burned to ashes. Cloud seemed to think about it before he laid his chin on her shoulder and, right by her ear, began to talk.

"Well... We obviously need a new house." His words held some humour and she had to smile as well. "And... We'll need to do something about this kid."

"Maybe he could stay with us?" She asked suddenly. It struck her as odd how much she actually did want to keep him with them, now that she'd thought of it. He seemed like such a sweet boy -- his parents or whomever he'd had while living in Costa Del Sol, gone. Without a family.

'Maybe it's because you can relate.' She thought.

A silence hung between them for a bit and Tifa wondered if she'd gone a little too far too fast.

"I don't see why not." He finally answered and Tifa's heart soared.

"Cloud, what would I do without you?" She asked, snuggling herself further into his embrace. "I love you." She whispered almost immediately after.

"I love you too, Teef." He said, kissing her jaw tenderly. He couldn't help but feel protective of her right now. So much had happened and she'd just acted so different after it all. But now, his Tifa was shining through and he started to relax. "Go to sleep. I'll be here, alright?"

"I don't want to sleep..." She sighed softly.

He smirked. "What a fight that was..."

She whacked his arm playfully and smirked, opening her eyes and turning her head around to look at him. "You're such a tease."

"Yeah, I know I am."

She giggled and the movement woke Denzel. He lifted his face up slowly, after fully waking himself and looked into the ruby red eyes of Tifa. She smiled at him lovingly and he smiled back, unsure of himself. Then he saw the man sitting behind her. His glowing blue eyes looked cold -- a first impression. Looking closer, he saw the same tender emotion in Tifa's eyes and he felt... Safe.

He hadn't felt safe in a long time.

* * *

Aerith drifted in that feeling of floaty warmth. She didn't want to open her eyes and she didn't want to feel anything. She could hear someone calling her name though, desperately, pleading for her to let them know she was okay.

In the midst of it all, she tried. She _tried_ to let them know, she tried to say something, but she couldn't.

And when she heard the voice utter softly that they loved her, she fell back into the warmth and wrapped herself up in it, content with the words she'd just been given.

* * *

Vincent lost control when Cid, who had finally picked up his PHS, told him how he'd found Yuffie. Pain, worry, grief, all coursed through him in a single second and he felt Chaos take over. Ruthlessly, he shed his skin and clothing and jumped into the sky with a feral and predetorial roar. He flapped his wings and gave Cloud a single glance to let him know he was fine and would be back before he flew off into the night sky.

* * *

Yuffie could hear and feel someone working above and around her. Her skin felt tight on her body and she struggled to breathe.

"Yuffie? Yuffie sweetheart, are you alright?"

Shera.

Relief poured through Yuffie and she forced her eyes open. She recoiled from the blinding light that was above her face and lay her eyes over her arm, trying to get her eyes to adjust. She sat up quickly then and Shera tried to force her back down but it was to no avail. "Where's Cid!?" She choked out, her voice sounding raspy. Her throat felt like sandpaper.

Shera lay a soothing arm around her shoulders. "He's gone outside for a while--"

"Where!? Shera, there's a fiend out there!" She started to panic and Shera had to take a few minutes to calm her down. "Where am I?" She asked after she'd let herself breathe normally. Her thoughts were still fixated on Cid.

"Cid knows there's a fiend, he's just gone to warn the town and call the others to let them know everything went fine coming here and that he was going to pick them up a little later on." She paused and let it sink in before continuing. "As for where you are, you're in the guest room."

Yuffie coughed a couple times and her side exploded with pain. She cried out.

"Shhh, shhh..." Shera said, rubbing her arm. "I know it hurts. I can't do anything to help you until Cid is back though, we have no cure materia."

Yuffie screamed internally. Have I been out for a few minutes? What on earth is going on!?

"You've only been out for about five or ten minutes." Shera said, answering her unspoken question. Her features brightened then, a smile flitting across her face. "Would you like to see the baby?"

Yuffie felt the urge to finally lay her eyes on a source of her pain and she almost said yes, but stopped herself. No. No, she didn't want to see the baby. Not until Cid was with her. She would wait. Just a little longer. She buried her head in her knees then, shaking her head and ignoring the pain that flared. She looked up just in time to see Shera composing herself. She cursed herself and promised to take a whack at her stupid self when she was able to move. "No, no! Shera, I didn't mean that! I just... I want to see the baby while Cid's here too..."

She needn't have said anything else as understanding became visible in the older woman's eyes. They talked then. Just... talked. Yuffie was content to do just that. It had been a while since she'd talked to any woman like that -- Aerith, Tifa or otherwise.

Eventually, Cid's cursing and stomping self walked through the front door. Yuffie perked up a bit, wanting to see him. Wanting to see the baby.

When he made his way upstairs and into the guest room, Yuffie could see he was happy to see her awake. Relief surged through his face and whatever tension had been in his body fell away. "Fuck, brat, you're awake." He surprised her then when he crossed the room towards her and pulled her into a hug. Not crushing, for he didn't want to bother her injury, but not exactly a gentle hug either. She merely hugged him back, and she felt tears form at the corners of her eyes as comfort flowed through her.

Shera smiled warmly all the while. She left the room a little bit before he finally let her go, to get the baby Yuffie figured. Only then did Yuffie's nerves become fretfully obvious.

The first thing she heard was the small sucking sounds of the baby's lips moving against each other. The first thing she saw was the tiny hand that was reaching up in attempt grab hold of something of Shera's. The love radiating off of Shera was amazing. Cid looked at the two of them lovingly and at any other time, Yuffie would have felt out of place.

She didn't even need to see the baby to know she would love him or her as a brother or sister.

When Shera sat down beside her and let Yuffie take the baby, Yuffie finally felt at peace.

How could she have been so afraid of this? This tiny little girl?

"Hey, you..." She whispered, tugging the soft blanket that surrounded the infant down from around her perfectly round and chubby face. "I sure hope you don't turn out to be a chain-smoker... You'll be a ninja, right? Yeah..." She cooed and she could feel the warm stares of Cid and Shera on her.

Cid chuckled a bit at Yuffie's soft-spoken words and he ruffled her hair. Shera leaned into Yuffie and laid her head against the side of Yuffie's, looking down at her beautiful baby.

In that moment, Yuffie finally felt like she belonged somewhere.

She finally felt like she had a family and she would've never chosen any other group of people.

* * *

Sephiroth honestly didn't know what to do anymore.

He'd long ago stopped talking to her, to himself, trying to calm himself down. He was glad when everyone had left him alone. He hadn't wanted to lose it in front of all of them. He was _not_ weak.

He snorted to himself at the thought. Now was hardly the time to start thinking about being weak. There was an entire battle left to go!

Damn this Planet for setting him and Aerith on it's surface!

Immediately, he regretted thinking it. He'd learned a lot since coming back here, and he'd gained a lot. Trust from most of Avalanche, Aerith's unbelievable faith in him and in their relationship. He'd begun to build something of a normal life for himself and he would be forever grateful to the Planet, his mother, Gast and Ifalna and most especially Aerith for this chance.

_I love you._

He'd uttered those words to Aerith's still and cold form not too long ago. He wondered if he would have the courage to say anything to her when she woke up. He'd said them more for her to hold onto, regardless of whether she heard him or not.

Why she wasn't regaining colour or consciousness was beyond him.

He didn't want to lose her. Before now, it probably wouldn't have mattered.

Now... It did.

How he'd changed.

Dark thoughts entered his head then. Thoughts unprecedented, ones like the thoughts he'd had so long ago when he'd set out to destroy this Planet and it's inhabitants...

_If she dies..._

_At least I'll have a reason to destroy whoever these people are..._

His fists curled slowly.

His eyes glowed with malice.

_They'll wish they'd never even left their safe haven..._

And so quickly, his head was filled with the images of him killing the woman laying in his arms, motionless. His blade, slicing through her skin, her back, her abdomen. The life shuddering out of her as she held in the cry he'd so long to vest from her broken body...

He felt repulsed and wanted to get his hands off of the innocent woman he was now clutching. That moment though, Aerith sat up abruptly her eyes flying open. A shrill scream erupted from her throat and she stood with a haste Sephiroth had never seen her move with. He was up in an instant and restraining her as she tried to run.

"Aerith, calm down, calm down..." He spoke quietly, but with force. Her squirming eventually stilled and her breathing became somewhat normal.

"Where's Vincent? Yuffie? Cid?" Aerith asked, hurriedly, spinning around in his arms to face him. Her head was still throbbing painfully, but she ignored it -- at least she could see now.

"Vincent flew off to find Yuffie..."

"Chaos?" She asked, fearing his answer would be yes.

He nodded. She closed her eyes.

"Are Yuffie and Cid alright?"

"Yes, Cloud called them after Vincent left..."

Aerith looked around her suddenly. "Where's that boy?" She asked. "Is he alright?"

He motioned his head towards her left and she saw Cloud and Tifa, laying together looking absolutely adorable, with the boy laying on Tifa's chest, sound asleep. She smiled and a warm and fuzzy feeling crawled inside of her. "They're so adorable..."

"Aerith." His one word brought her out of her reverie and she looked up at him sorrowfully. "Are you alright?"

She looked deep into his eyes, searching for something. "I'm fine, Sephiroth. How are _you_?"

God, it was like she could read his thoughts, like she knew things nobody else did. He steeled himself against whatever she was looking for and answered, rather curtly, "I'm fine."

She looked down quickly, regaining herself, before she looked back up at him with a smile plastered on her face.

"That's good." She said, before she leaned down and picked up her PHS that she spotted laying on the ground by her feet. She dialed Yuffie's number and listened to the dial tone. Someone answered, but it wasn't Yuffie. Nonetheless, when she heard Shera's happy and bubbly voice she smiled in relief. "Hello?"

"Shera? How are you? Congratulations!"

"Oh, Aerith dear. I'm fine and thank you! You must come and visit sometime soon." She gushed. "I want you all to see the baby!"

"Girl or boy?" Aerith asked, a grin spreading across her face.

"Girl!"

"Oh god, I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you dear."

"Listen, Shera, I'm really sorry to cut this short... But I need to talk to Cid or Yuffie." Aerith said, sad she had to end this perfectly normal conversation in her perfectly abnormal life.

"Oh, it's alright, they're dying to talk to you anyway." She said. "I'll see you later?"

"You'll see me later. All of us."

"Alright. Take care, all of you!"

"You too, Shera."

She waited while shuffling took place on the other end of the phone. Eventually, Cid's voice was booming in her ear.

"Cid?" She asked, trying to get his attention, feeling herself slip further away from everyone. The ground beneath her shook and everyone around her jumped up, shocked, yelling, confused. An earthquake? some asked. Aerith barely moved an inch, as if she had been expecting it to happen. She did have to steady herself though when a particularly large quake ripped through he earth beneath her feet. "Cid, get here as fast as you can with Vincent and Yuffie okay?"

She hung up before he or herself could clearly hear the trembling in her voice.

She looked one last time at Sephiroth who was watching her curiously, unaffected by the movement around them.

They stared at each other in an ethereal silence, neither blinking an eye. The entire moment was something Aerith would hold onto for the rest of her life. Their bond had been cemented. In the end, she mouthed the words, 'I'm sorry'.

And then she ran.

_And she danced._

* * *


	35. Denique Tripudio

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Chapter 35 - Denique Tripudio_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

_____Anger, sorrow, regret... __The screams of millions of souls rang through the air like nothing they'd ever heard. __They had failed, they had lost once more with the humans who twisted everything pure to their evil desires. Devastation and destruction. Life and death. _

_'My children... My children I am sorry...'_

_'My child, my child... I love you, I love you, I'm sorry...'_

No... No... Careening, they screamed in unison.

Our world, my world... It is broken.

Broken...

* * *

A harsh cough from Cid got Yuffie's attention, but not Shera's. It effectively broke the sweet silence she was so enjoying. She looked up at him, pointedly questioning him. He merely shook his head, motioning to Shera slightly. With great reluctance, Yuffie passed the newborn back to her mother.

"Sorry Shera, I need to talk to this old man alone." She said in mock cheerfulness. Cid glared at her, just bursting to say something, but the pilot held himself back. Surprising.

Shera, understanding as always, nodded and moved so she was lying against the headboard. She watched the pair leave the room.

"Just make sure to get those wounds healed, Yuffie." She called after them. When they were gone she continued on with the cooing and coddling of her dear baby.

Cid led the teen down the stairs and into the kitchen silently. Yuffie thought over in her head many different scenario's of how this might play out. What was he was going to say? In the end, she could honestly come up with nothing to suit the look on his face, which she was starting to feel more than a little uneasy about.

"So... What is it?"

Cid regarded her solemnly for a minute before he spoke and Yuffie felt terror coil around in her stomach when the words poured out. "Something's happened to the others..."

"What is it?" She repeated, visibly preparing herself. She closed her eyes wearily. God, did she ever feel tired... How she longed for a single night of rest, without nightmares or billowing ghosts whispering words of caution and future happenings.

"There was a... a fire." Her eyes flew open in shock. He was angry now, speaking forcefully and with volume. "That fucking Toyori blew Costa del Sol to ashes and flooded everything. Nearly got a hold of Aerith. And..." He seemed to hesitate then, but Yuffie gave him her 'tell me or I'll stick my weapon where the sun don't shine' look. He sighed. "Somethin' came out of the water, something real huge."

She was entirely focused on the drapery behind Cid now, which she could see just over his shoulder. It was an almost fluffy pink (she didn't know how else to describe it), with spiraling designs splaying outwards in a very pretty emerald green. The thought of Cid actually agreeing to such a thing was suddenly very strikingly obvious and hilarious. He loved this woman more than he showed. She felt like grinning at the subtle hints the group hadn't noticed on their very first visit here.

"We need to get fucking moving." He continued, shattering her zoned out state.

A silence stretched long and deep between them.

"But," she started, a panicked edge to her voice. "Do we even know _where_ they are? Are any of them hurt?"

He shrugged. "Nobody was hurt -- they found a kid in the fire though. God damn it, why're you spouting off stupid questions? We have to go, now!" He walked to the edge of the stairs and hesitated. "I just, uh..."

Yuffie waved him off dismissively. "Get your ass up there ya old fart."

He glared at her for the second time in five minutes but walked upstairs without a comment. She was left with herself, her thoughts and her worries.

She hoped, dearly, that Vincent was alright. That he wasn't hurt. She closed her eyes and felt fatigue wash over her. She was also becoming aware of the pain in her side now that she was standing still again. How had she not noticed it before? She shook her head and looked around the room; luckily, Cid had left the cure materia he'd picked up on the table. She walked over and took it in her hand, feeling its power seep into her bare skin already and wondering if she had the strength to even _cast_ a spell.

She needn't have worried though. That moment, someone barreled through the door. She fell back in surprise, but calmed whatever nerves had made themselves known as a tall, dark figure walked through the doorway. The pair of glowing red eyes that were watching her intently were looking at her kindly and concernedly, not aggressively.

She called up to Cid, just so he wouldn't come downstairs ready for battle. "It's just Vinnie."

She had to wonder if he'd even thought of coming down in the first place. She smiled.

Vincent watched her steadily for a minute. His nostrils flared once or twice, and she assumed it was because he could smell the blood beneath the haphazardly wrapped bandages. Eventually, she had to avert her eyes. She couldn't look at him for reasons she couldn't fathom. Suddenly, things just seemed awkward. Her feelings were running amok inside her and she couldn't decide what to say, how to act.

"Are you alright?" His voice was velvety smooth as always, but it held something indiscernible.

She nodded mutely, bringing her eyes level with his. "How did you..." She trailed off at the sight of his torn clothes. "Oh. Chaos?" She questioned, looking up at him.

He nodded and moved forward. The sound of the metal on his boots and the swish of that cape sounded depressing to her at the moment.

She tried to lighten the mood.

"Jeez Vinnie, how nice of you to come at this hour, right after you'd have to deal with my sticky blood. Don't worry though! I recovered like a ninja would -- quickly!"

_Tried_. Keyword right there.

"You're still bleeding?" It wasn't really a question, but a statement. He pried the cure materia out of her hand and placed his claw on her side. She flinched a bit -- not so much at the contact alone, but because the skin was just so sensitive there. He cast it effortlessly and she glared at him when it was over and turned, walking to the living room.

'God, god, god, Yuffie you idiot.' She groaned internally. 'What am I gonna say!? Think, think, think!'

She felt much better now, she admitted. For some reason though, bitterness was pushing at her. She just felt the need to be _angry _at him. But... Something was different in the way he looked at her now. It made her nervous, killing off any other emotion.

"So Vin-Vin, why'd you come here?" She said, keeping herself busy by rearranging things in the cluttered room. It made no difference really -- it was simply a distraction from his prying and captivating eyes.

He was silent for a long time, watching her with some amount of amusement. Then, slowly, "I came to check on you." He said, adding hastily afterward, "and Cid."

The way he said it and how easily he said it surprised her. She had to turn and look at him. "What, you didn't think we could handle ourselves? The Great Ninja Yuffie is standing in front of you!"

He didn't look particularly amused _then_.

She knew now was hardly the time for joking and saying meaningless words, but she didn't want to deal with it right now. It would have to happen sooner or later, obviously, but not now. Now right now. She needed time. She needed to sort out what to do, how she felt... She had quite a package waiting for her back in Wutai that she had to escape from anyways!

All those thoughts and the question that always sent her into a fit of anger and sadness pushed at her mind.

Without even thinking, she voiced it.

"Vincent, what happened back at that waterfall?"

His face went completely blank. Whatever emotion had been playing on his features was completely gone, replaced by his unreadable mask.

Her heart broke at the thought of having caused it. She hadn't seen that face in a long, long time.

"Nothing happened."

"Don't bullshit me, Vincent." She said. How could he stand there and deny it!? "I saw the way you acted after you took so long to walk in after us. _Something_ happened. Have your sins caught up with you again, Vincent? Is Lucrecia the center of your life again? Has her memory forced some idiotic tendencies back on you now?" As usual, things just fell out of her mouth without her thinking about it and she was momentarily stunned inside herself for what she'd just said to him, _accused_ him of.

He was in front of her in the blink of an eye. "Don't speak of what you don't understand."

"Oh, I understand perfectly." She whispered, seething. She walked around him forcibly, her body shaking. "I understand what she's done to you in the past and you don't seem to see how stupid it is that you keep beating yourself up over it! It was not your _fault_, Vincent."

He stood, motionless. She watched him through narrowed eyes and as the anger slowly slipped away, her eyes softened. She didn't regret anything she said, but she was scared now. Really scared. Funny how your emotions could just come and go like that. They'd worked so hard to get this far and now, was it all just going to blow up in their faces? Her head was buzzing with any and all thoughts of what could happen now. What would he say? What could _she_ say? Nothing would matter to him at this point, she'd blown her chance and his trust.

He turned to face her, ever so slowly, and his aged eyes met her aged eyes.

It was ironic, she thought, how two broken souls couldn't find what they needed in each other. How two people who'd suffered so much and could sympathize with the other could be at odds so often, especially in that very department.

Their eyes met and held for several minutes. If they couldn't _say_ anything, surely they could express something through their eyes. The mirrors to the soul.

Only did they break away when Cid pounded down the stairs, yelling and cussing about something or other. "Get yer fucking asses moving! Nice to see ya, Vince, but we don't have all fucking day!" He was out the door in seconds with his luggage of items, weaponry and materia.

Vincent was the first to walk away.

She followed shortly after, all the while wondering when this relationship, this friendship, had started to fall apart.

* * *

_'Do you even know where you're running to!?'_

No, she didn't. She didn't know where she was running to, but she knew she was going the right way. Something was tugging at her, pulling her forward in a blind chase. Everything rushed past her in a blur as she ran with a speed she'd never known herself to possess. Maybe it was the combination of desperation and hope that was being strung through her entirety or maybe it was just a simple want for everything to just end.

Because along with desperation and hope, there was a newly forming feeling of foreboding in the pit of her stomach. And as her head became too full of meaningless thoughts and her heart churned, fluttering mercilessly in her chest, she knew that unless something was done now, she might lose something ever so dear to her.

She didn't want to wait to find out if that was a person or an object. A piece of herself, even.

So she ran, not stopping to listen to her friends' callings.

"Aerith, wait, what are you doing!?" Tifa yelled after her, pleading and confused.

"Aerith!" Cloud snapped, followed by a string of curses from Barret standing beside him.

Everyones voices were a chorus of shouts and pleas.

But it didn't matter, really. She heard it, understood what they wanted and were saying, but it went through one ear and out the other, unheeded.

The ground beneath her feet was still trembling and the entire world was feeling it. But now, she couldn't have felt the ground so steady. Tree's swayed in plentiful forests and fiends and animals panicked and ran to a safe haven. She just ran straight for the source of the motion.

She prayed to whatever Gods were watching over her that Sephiroth wouldn't stop her. She knew it was stupid to even begin to think about him actually letting her go on by herself, to face this on her own. Because she knew that he was either right behind her or right beside her.

Eventually, she couldn't deny that she needed to rid herself of her clunky boots. They were simply getting in her way, and so she stopped and moved to kick them off. A voice hissed something in her ear then, abruptly, and she could feel his breath on her cheek and his looming presence right behind her. At first, the words hardly registered in her mind but when they did she turned to the speaker and stared at him dumbly.

"What are you _doing_?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing?" She paused after that, forgetting to continue on with what she felt the need to say to him. Nothing in the world could've stopped her more than the look on his face. "I'm doing what I have to Sephiroth..."

She could see her vision waning, the world spinning darkly in front of her, but it all seemed so insignificant. The look on his face -- anger, confusion, wonder... It was all so breathtaking. The thought of what she needed to do was niggling at her at the back of her mind though. Kicking her boots off, she listened to his voice as impassively as she could.

"Where are you going? Do you even know?"

She knew she looked uneasy then and she didn't try to hide it. He would have known anyway. "I don't know where I'm going." She answered truthfully. He gave her a skeptical look. "No," she continued, shaking her head. "I really don't. But... Something is just..." She tried to find the words to describe it. "Something is just pulling me. I can't ignore it, it's like... If I don't, my body will move for me. I don't know! Surely, when she was a part of your life, you heard Jenova and felt... Compelled to go wherever she asked?"

Silence.

So maybe that wasn't the right thing to bring up, but how else could she make him understand the need?

Her body was shaking now -- from the earth beneath her? Maybe. She didn't know. From that drive to move, to keep running? Maybe.

When he took a step toward her, she took a step back. Something akin to hurt flashed across his face, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. She hated herself then, for making him feel that way. She wanted so much to just walk up to him and look him dead on in the eyes and tell him everything she felt for him, how he shouldn't be hurt by her movements or her words.

But, obviously, she couldn't. She was rooted to her place, her eyes darting everywhere in impatience and worry.

Instead, he spoke and this time it was to interrogate her on where she was going. "What if it's on another continent?"

She tilted her head. "Then you can get me there."

"Why do you think I would do that?"

She glared at him. "Because this is _important_. If we don't do it now, who else will die? What other town will be burnt to ground?"

He just stared then and while she was sure she should have been unnerved by the look she was being given, she couldn't say she felt much at all. She was set for this goal and she would reach it, with or without his help.

She would not be responsible for another death.

"What is it you think you need to do?" The was an undertone of anxiety in his voice that she picked up on. What was he so worried about?

"Destroy it."

"How?"

"However I can."

He was silent again. "And why are you going _alone_?"

She lowered her eyes and to the ground and turned on her heel. She walked and she heard his footsteps tracing hers.

There was so much feeling inside of her. She'd been through so much and she knew she wasn't the only one. But this situation, their situation, it was her fault. She's lost the materia and thus lost their guiding voice. She'd put her friends into a situation where one of them had been killed. She'd made the group endure so much because of her mere presence. Rude would never have died had she not been there -- Toyori had been after the White Materia after all, which had been inside of her. Maybe if she'd reconsidered and listened to Sephiroth about not finding Avalanche then...

Maybe things would be different. Maybe there would still be life in Rude's eyes and happiness in Reno and Elena's lives.

And between the Planet having used her body for it's own purposes, her own sickeningly apparent ailments and her inability to keep her emotions in check, well... She was more of a hindrance than a help.

These feelings she was having for Sephiroth and the conclusion she'd come to only this last week about him weren't exactly helping her case, either.

Love made you do stupid things.

Was this one of those times? Was she not seeing the whole picture? Should she stop running for whatever it was she was heading towards? Should she just stop and listen to her friends, listen to Sephiroth, just wait for everyone to assemble themselves?

But would that cause an irreversible event to occur?

Was it really worth it?

'So many questions and so many answers,' she thought.

And what was with this blackening vision?

"Look Sephiroth, we have to do _something_. I can't just stand by and watch them destroy more lives." She looked up at him sadly, smiling. "I'm not asking you to come with me, but I have to ask that you not stop me."

He gazed at her silently, wondering if she knew something more than she was telling him. He wanted to stop her, he did, but something in her eyes told him to let her go. Not alone, of course, he was most certainly going with her. Just... Their was a spark of determination in her eyes. She knew what she was doing and nothing he said would be changing her mind.

He sighed in defeat. "We need to find out _where_ it is, first."

She smiled, grateful. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her forehead wearily. "I just don't understand how it could've moved that fast, in water no less. If it's at another continent... It's just a lot to think about." She turned and started walking and felt her heart clench painfully when he moved quickly to walk beside her and kept in stride with her.

She wanted him to come with her... But she didn't want to lose him. It was such a strange feeling she had inside of her... She knew she was in love with him, there was no doubt about that little fact. She'd thought twice she'd been in love with someone before and with Zax it may have been true. With Cloud... She thought now maybe she'd been pursuing the need to have that somebody beside her, with the loss of Zax still eating away at her.

But never had she felt this strongly. She knew with absolute certainty that Sephiroth had captured her heart.

She wondered if she had his.

She chanced a glance at him and saw some semblance of worry and sorrow gracing his features. She glanced away uneasily, wrapping her arms around herself and lowering her eyes to the ground.

"What's wrong?"

She choked on the words. She couldn't force them out. Her fears, her thoughts, her worries...

'Are we going to stay together after this?'

'Do you love me?'

'Am I going to be alright?'

'I don't want to die again.'

"Um, I was just thinking..." Say it! a voice in her head said, hissing. "I was just thinking about what's going to happen after this. You know, if we're going to stay together after all of this or if you're going to want to go somewhere else. Enjoy your second chance, free. Finally."

He seemed genuinely surprised for a second but it was gone before she could fully see it. "Well..." He seemed a little shifty now. "Did you want to stay together after this?" He couldn't understand why she would want to. He was, after all, the man who murdered her. Sure, they'd grown closer, closer than he could've imagined, but... He always thought she'd want to stay with Avalanche when everything was over and done with. They were her friends, after all. He was merely the help she'd needed to save her Planet.

She blushed, despite herself. "Well, yes." She admitted. "You've grown on me." She added cheekily, winking at him, trying to lighten the mood and rid the air of the tension.

He looked away.

They were quiet for a bit afterwards, until Aerith, reluctantly, suggested something. "Why don't you fly above and try and see if you can find anything?" She didn't really want to be left alone, but they were kind of wasting time just walking around aimlessly and Avalanche couldn't have been too far behind them by now.

He nodded and closed his eyes, concentrating. Within seconds, he was in the air and out of her sight. She sighed and frowned, poking her bare foot into the long stilled ground. Was it just her, or was that awkward? More awkward than usual?

He seemed almost... Embarrassed by her question. Like he'd wanted to dodge answering.

Why?

Did he not want to stay with her after?

True, after everything, she wanted to settle down. She wanted a normal life.

Maybe he knew that and it just wasn't what he was looking for. Wasn't what he wanted.

Her mood was dampened by this thought. Sadly, her spirits went way down.

She was extremely tired, she realized. Her limbs felt heavy and her body felt overused. Her vision began to blacken again, poking sharply at the back of her mind, trying to get her to submit to the darkness of sleep. Her head still hadn't stopped throbbing -- it never had since she'd woken up after fainting. It was dully painful right now though, unlike before when it had began to reach an almost unbearable temperament. She shook her head and started to walk in a large circle, waiting for Sephiroth and trying to keep herself awake and alert.

And suddenly she was looking into glowing green eyes.

Glowing green eyes that belonged not to her aforementioned partner, but to a mako fiend.

She stumbled back, startled, but the fiend didn't move. It just sat in front of her and studied her.

'What is it doing?'

It titled it's head quietly, before it stood and started walking towards her. She didn't move. There was something different about this one...

It didn't want to attack her, she thought. She let it walk right by her and didn't flinch when it's body made contact with hers as it brushed steadily by her. Was it even aware that she was there? She turned slowly, non-aggressively and watched as it walked away without a second glance back at her.

She was very aware of a presence beside her then and she looked up at Sephiroth, clearly confused. He didn't look too sure either.

"What was that about...?" She asked anyways.

"I don't know." He replied, turning her his to look down at her. "It didn't even try to harm you?"

She shook her head no.

"What does it mean?" She wondered aloud. "Did you see anything?" She added as an afterthought.

"I saw a large shadow on the northern continent."

Her features became unreadable then and he thought he saw a ripple of sadness in her eyes. Her mouth was drawn tightly and she seemed to tense up.

He barely caught her whisper.

"Always there..."

From then on, she seemed withdrawn, though not immediately noticeably. He could tell she didn't want to go there, to her home city and her previous deathbed, but she walked steadily on, never once uttering a complaint. Several times, he watched as her steps seemed to slow and she would wince, in pain or memory he didn't know, but when she noticed he was observing she straightened and walked forward without a word. He was worried, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead, they carried on pointless conversations.

"But it would look so pretty, Sephiroth."

"You will not be braiding my hair."

"I wish I had your hair."

"I wish you did too, then you might stop speaking of it."

"Don't be such a..."

He smirked when she trailed off.

"A what?" He challenged.

"I don't know."

"I _see_."

"You know what?"

She took his silence as confimation he wanted to know.

"Did you ever know about Cloud... Crossdressing?"

He sputtered at that and she laughed.

She went on to tell him all about it. He grinned manically at the end of her story, no doubt planning his next jab at Cloud. She smiled all along, happy that for once both of them could talk about something without it pertaining to their quest or their impending future.

Eventually, they reached the northern part of the western continent. For a moment, at the edge, they simply stood and looked at the mountainous northern continent they could now just see in the distance, a welcome silence flowing easily around them. Aerith let her eyes wander over the splashing waves and the twittering birds.

It never ceased to amaze her, really. Even when the world was in grave danger, you could always rely on the familiarity of the crashing ocean and the happily oblivious animals. Slowly, she waded in the water, closing her eyes and smiling at the coolness of the water. She let out a sigh when Sephiroth moved in beside her. She wrapped her arm around his and leaned against him, savoring the moment.

"This planet really is beautiful..." She murmured quietly.

"It is." He agreed.

They looked the perfect picture of happiness.

The weight on their shoulders pressed down on them still and it couldn't be ignored any longer. Aerith shuddered slightly and turned to face him completely.

"I guess this is it..."

He nodded, silent. He watched her intently until she smiled, as always.

She quietly leaned into him and no words were needed as his lips met hers softly. Love and passion overwhelmed her and she almost felt like crying as how right this was and how uncertain she was of their being together for the rest of their lives.

They pulled away slowly and Sephiroth wrapped his arms around her protectively. She buried her head against his chest and breathed in the scent of him. She relaxed in his embrace and before she knew it, they were in the air.

Once again, she was bound for the place that would decide the destiny of not only herself, but everything dear to her.

* * *

"What is she thinking?" Tifa asked aloud as Avalanche and the Turks slowed their run after Aerith and Sephiroth to a walk, accepting the fact that they wouldn't be catching up with them easily. They'd debated on whether or not to sit and wait for Cid to get there, but in the end decided to keep walking and just let Cid know that that was what they would be doing and to fly over in the general direction.

Denzel was shrunk against her, scared and confused. His hand was encased in hers and she offered what comfort she could but she didn't know if it was any good. She sighed and looked down at the boy, who looked up at her, aware of her gaze on him. She smiled and he smiled back hesitantly, but they rarely exchanged any words. He didn't seem to want to and Tifa enjoyed the silence.

"Fuck, that girl jus' up and runnin' of like that!" Barret cursed.

Tifa turned and glared at him. "Barret, language." She snapped, immediately irritated with him.

He looked at her apologetically and continued on his rant with a much more mild vocabulary. "I jus' don't get it. Why don't she jus' tell us what's wrong wit' her? And that Sephiroth runnin' after her without a word!?" He growled and Tifa knew he was wishing to hit something. _Hard_.

"I don't think you give them enough credit, Barret." Red said quietly, his one eye looking up at him thoughtfully. "She knows what she's doing, I'm sure. She's our friend and I do not believe she would put us in any danger. In fact, she is probably doing this to keep us out of danger." Wise words, as always. The group listened to him quietly, mulling over everything in their heads. "As for Sephiroth... You know how he feels about her."

"They can't just do this alone. We're all here, we're all involved." Cloud said angrily.

"I think," Elena piped up, earning herself looks from everyone. "That she feels responsible for a lot of this."

Cait nodded, jumping up and down. "Me too."

Cloud shook his head. "Why?"

Reno fixed him with a look that clearly said he thought he was a total idiot. "Well dumb ass," he started, ignoring the look he got from Tifa and Elena. "She was the reason Toyori came after all of us."

"Wasn' her fault." Barret supplied and everyone silently agreed.

"Come on, you all know her better than I fucking know her. I've _known_ her for a long fucking time and from what I've seen her do, she doesn't care if people forgive her, she still feels what she feels." He shook his head as though he was disappointed in them. "She's a stubborn little..." He trailed off when Elena moved to deck him.

"He's right." Tifa sighed.

They kept quiet for a long time, thinking over everything and waiting impatiently for Cid, Yuffie and Vincent. The silence was cut short when they heard a distant buzzing from above them. A few raised their heads to look, but they couldn't see anything. Shrugging, they moved on.

Again, they heard it.

"What is that damn noise!?" Barret yelled to nobody in particular.

"I think it's a god damned airship." Reno shot at him, sarcasm sugar coating all of his words.

"_No way_, asshole."

"Would you both shut up!?" Elena screamed, exasperated.

"STOP." Cloud yelled above them all, sucking in air in obvious anger. "This is not the time to be fighting amongst ourselves. We need to band together now, we have something we need to do, something important." Cait jumped up onto his shoulder and sat there, nodding along with them. Tifa's features softened at the sight and she smiled. "You all have something or someone to protect, right? Focus on that and nothing else." He sighed tiredly. "Now, let's mosey."

"God damn, Cloud--"

"Can't you say anything better than that!?"

"He's right, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, let's go..."

Above them, Cid's airship was lowering itself to the ground, prepared to land. It whirred gently and stirred the dust around them. Quickly, they group moved out of the way so the ship could land. Distantly, they could hear Cid yelling through the sound system of the engine. "Yuffie, you fuckin' brat get back in here or I'll--" He cut himself off abruptly. "Shit!"

Tifa watched as Yuffie appeared over the railing of the deck and smiled a huge smile. Effortlessly, she threw herself over the railing, flipping skillfully to the ground. Landing on her feet, she sprang up from her crouched position and flew into Cloud. Hugging him, she screamed loudly, "oh Cloud, I'm so glad you're alright, you worried me so much, gawd, what did you do without me here, huh!?" She moved from person to person, hugging everyone (even Reno and Denzel) happily.

"Yuffie," Tifa laughed, wrapping her arms around her as she threw herself at the older woman. "I'm glad _you're_ alright. Why didn't you answer your PHS when we called you?"

Yuffie looked up at her thoughtfully. "I, uh..." She glanced around nervously as all eyes became trained on her. "Can we talk later? In the airship?" She whispered, pleading.

Tifa merely nodded.

Yuffie looked around then, suddenly aware of something. "Hey, wait! Where's Aerith and Sephiroth?"

She noticed how everyone avoided looking at her and started to panic. "Hey, no, wait, tell me!"

Cloud stepped forward. "They're not here."

"That's obvious, Cloudy!" She said in a sing-song voice.

He rolled his eyes. "Aerith ran off and Sephiroth followed. We think they're following Toyori." He said and told her of everything that happened since she'd left. She listened and surprised everyone when she was eerily silent afterwards.

"So, are we gonna go find 'em?" She finally asked.

"Yeah, but we were waitin' for you to get yer ass out here!" Barret said.

Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him and turned on her heel, walking past everyone into the airship. "Then let's get moving!"

Cid, who was standing on the ramp of the airship, caught Tifa's gaze and held it. Something passed between them: there was something wrong with Yuffie. Tifa titled her head at him and nodded. The two of them needed to find out what that something was. Everyone else was oblivious to the exchange as they walked up after the young ninja.

She was the last to walk up and she stopped beside Cid. "I'll talk to her first?" She asked. He nodded and motioned for her to go in ahead of him. He followed shortly, pushing the switch on the wall beside him to let the ramp up.

Vincent was nowhere to be seen.

The group walked, listening to Yuffie's generally excited and happy rambling. They all split off once they reached the cockpit and Cid took the wheel. Tifa glanced at Yuffie and walked over, tugging on her arm. "Come with me, okay?" She asked, but she didn't wait for Yuffie to answer. She dragged her off to a secluded room, locking the door behind her. Yuffie went and lay down on the bed and filled Tifa in on everything that happened without preamble, anticipating this from the older woman. Tifa listened intently, only once interrupting when Yuffie started talking about being bitten. When she finished, Tifa let a silence lay between them for a few minutes so they could both soak everything up and sort it out in their head.

Yuffie felt like a great weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She turned her head so she could look at Tifa and waited.

"So... Vincent? You said that to him?"

Yuffie swallowed deeply and rolled over onto her stomach, fiddling with the edge of the blanket on the bed. "Uh, yeah. It just kinda... Came out of my mouth and I couldn't stop it. I felt so bad after, Teef..." She sighed and laid her head on her arms. "What am I gonna do?"

Tifa watched her sympathetically. "Oh Yuff. I don't know what to say. He didn't say anything afterwards?"

"Nothing... He didn't even look at me." She said, her eyes filling with tears. "He must hate me now, gawd... I screwed up so bad this time."

Tifa stood and walked over to sit beside her. Yuffie sat up and hugged her tightly, crying. "No Yuffie, he doesn't hate you. Nobody could hate you. You just need to give him a bit of time and then you need to go and talk to him. Work things out..."

"What if it doesn't work?"

"You've still got to try." She soothed. "Nothing is going to get better if you don't try."

A knock on the door had Yuffie springing up, wiping her eyes furiously. Tifa rubbed her arm and stood quietly, unlocking and opening the door. Cloud stood on the other side. At the sight of Yuffie trying to make herself presentable and trying to get rid of all traces of tears, he rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. He was acutely aware that he'd just walked in on something important.

"I, uh... Sorry Teef, Yuffie."

She shook her head. "It's alright. I think we're done anyways." She turned to look at Yuffie questioningly. Yuffie nodded and stood. She gave Tifa one last hug before she walked out of the room.

"Thanks. See you later."

Tifa sighed when she was out of earshot and sight. Her shoulders drooped and she felt like falling over, but the bed was on the other side of the room so she refrained. Cloud held his arms out and she fell into them gratefully. He held her tightly and rocked her back and forth lightly. "Are you okay?"

She nuzzled further into his chest and breathed in deeply. "I am now."

She felt him grin against her hair. She lifted her head and looked him in the eyes, smiling wearily. She kissed him chastely and he smiled back down at her. "I love you, Teef."

"I love you, too." How long had she waited to be able to say that to Cloud? So long. Now, it felt like they'd been saying it to each other for their entire lives. She felt giddy just thinking about it. Feeling jumpy, but in a good way, she took hold of his hands and led him down the hallway. He laughed.

"What now?" He asked suggestively.

She giggled. "No, Cloud."

He huffed, let down.

"I just want to spend some time with you, you know... Before..." She couldn't finish her sentence she found and she looked at him apologetically at how morbid she must've sounded. He shook his head; he agreed with her. You never knew what could happen.

"Well then." He said, pulling his hands out of hers and placing them on her sides. "Let's spend some _quality time_ with each other." He started to tickle her and she writhed, trying to get away, squirming futilely in his grip.

"Cloud, stop!" She laughed uncontrollably. She went limp when he finally did stop but her eyes widened when he picked her up off her feet, bridal style. Much to her dismay, she let out a surprised squeal and her arms went around his neck faster than she could think about doing it. He merely chuckled at her antics.

She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed, happy that they could still have fun like this.

"Teef, I want you to promise me something..." Cloud said after minutes of carrying her out to the deck. He let her slide down onto her feet and made her face him, putting two fingers under her chin to make sure she was looking at him. "Promise me you'll be careful."

Tifa watched him sweetly and placed her hand over his, trying to be comforting. "I promise, Cloud. But you need to promise me too." She cupped his cheek when he rolled his eyes and looked out at the moving scenery instead of at her. "No, really Cloud. I know you're strong -- you are, but... You're not invincible, okay? So promise me. We're going to both come out of this alive, no matter what."

The atmosphere surrounding them was suddenly very serious. They both looked at each other, determined to reach the goal Tifa had unknowingly set out for them just now. He nodded and she smiled. "I promise, Tifa."

"Good. You better keep it." She said, leaning into him again.

He moved so he was standing behind her and wrapped his arms around her stomach, placing his chin on the top of her head. "Only if you do."

"Deal."

* * *

"They're coming..." Toyori stated, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Don't get too happy just yet." Hiei cautioned, stepping up beside his comrade. "There's still a battle to fight and win. Getting cocky will only get you killed. Keep your head out of the clouds for now."

Toyori merely glared at the man beside him. "You're a cold bastard, you know? Always ruining my fun."

"Always. I simply can't help it."

"Yeah, well, whatever. Don't get yourself killed like..."

"Like Kayana." Hiei finished for him.

They lapsed into a long silence.

_Do not despair over that failure..._ Their boss' voice cut through their mourning and memories like a knife. Toyori clenched his fists, enraged. Hiei merely stiffened. Regardless of how they acted and what they were doing, they had _feelings_. Growing up with these people, trapped in a lifeless abyss with these people, especially Kayana and Hiei, had been an experience in itself. The threesome had become close, no matter how they acted towards each other.

Sure, there had been other people with them, but only the three of them had survived.

How could this... This person tell them to forget her?

They both fell to the ground as pain coursed through their bodies. Hiei screamed out pleas, that they would never think it again and after too long a wait they relaxed as they were freed from the intrusion to their minds and bodies. Toyori panted heavily and stumbled up onto his feet.

That was something this person had always been able to do. That was the only reason he ever listened to this person. They could somehow inflict pain on you until you groveled and they could read and intrude on your thoughts. He closed his eyes wearily.

They'd felt pain before, but always... Always, this was the worst. It got more and more unbearable each time.

He glanced at Hiei and they held a gaze for a moment, silently asking the other if they were alright. As usual, they both looked away, satisfied that the other was fine.

_Now, do not waste any more time thinking things that will get you killed. You have a mission and if you do not complete it, you will _die_. From what I can tell, all of them are coming and they are coming to destroy us once and for all, so be ready. If you fail..._ They trailed off, not needing to tell the two what would happen if they did._ Kill the Cetra first._

Toyori didn't need to be told to kill the lady first. He smiled grimly at the thought of the look in that soldier's eyes as his beloved Cetra suffered a long and painful death...

"Toyori." Hiei said sharply, hitting the man in the arm. Toyori looked at him and looked over to where his eyes were fixed. He smiled and unsheathed his weapon. Hiei did the same and they took off quickly, running hastily into the distance.

_Let the games begin..._

* * *

The only thing she could see still, was a shadow. A huge shadow, about the size of a Weapon situated in the middle of the Northern Continent. There wasn't enough light to illuminate it completely and it was getting darker still. She frowned. "Seph, can _you_ see it?" Aerith asked.

Sephiroth looked up at her, confused as to what she was talking about. "The shadow." She clarified. "Can you see it in detail?"

"Not entirely, but yes, I suppose I can."

"And...?"

"And?"

"Well, what does it look like!?"

"Can you just wait? You wouldn't believe me if I told you anyways."

"Try me."

"We're almost there."

Aerith crossed her arms over her chest and stopped in her tracks. They'd long since stopped flying. Once they'd reached the shores of the Northern Continent near Bone Village, they'd begun to walk, even though flying was faster. Her stopping like this and their walking were just some of the ways for them both to delay the inevitable. However, Aerith couldn't deny that Sephiroth seemed excited to be going into a hugely important battle like this. She couldn't blame him though -- he was born and bred a soldier. She would have to deal with that. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"I already told you why." Sephiroth said, still walking.

She pouted and ran to catch up with him. "You walk way too fast, you know."

"I'm walking slower than usual, as you can't seem to keep up with me when I walk normally." He glanced at her, one fine eyebrow raised. "What's that saying?"

She blushed and narrowed her eyes. "It's saying you're a _soldier_ and I'm a _flower girl_ of Midgar."

He merely shrugged.

She let it go.

They walked silently through the forest leading to Bone Village. They encountered a few small fiends on the way, but Sephiroth took care of them with skill and grace. It seemed too easy for him and he looked so beautiful in battle, for a moment she felt jealous. She could take care of herself, she knew, but she had to admit that these fiends would definitely be something difficult for her to deal with. It took him only seconds.

When they reached Bone Village, Aerith took it upon herself to stop their journeying. She walked around the small excavation site and gathered materials they might need. Items and armor, helpful little trinkets and anything she could find laying around in the dirt. Sephiroth had to drag her from the site and into the Sleeping Forest.

"So... Where is this thing?" Aerith asked, confused. "Every time I think we're getting closer we're farther away."

"It's in a mountain crevice. Not in the City of the Ancients but not near the Crater. Just a secluded area of the mountain."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know."

She thought about it as much as she could until she felt her head hurt. Too much thinking in one day, she thought.

They were halfway through the City of the Ancients when both became aware of the sound of an airship -- the Sierra, most likely -- above them. Aerith looked up and saw her suspicions to be accurate. Cid was bringing the airship down as close as he dared and yelling through the intercom for the pair to get their asses on the airship. She was both happy and unhappy at this development, but she and Sephiroth acquiesced. Sephiroth flew them up without a word.

Both Sephiroth and Aerith were embraced by a very happy Tifa.

"Oh my god you guys, don't ever run off like that again!"

Aerith chuckled. "I'm sorry, Tifa."

Sephiroth merely looked, and felt, awkward through the entire ordeal. He patted Tifa's back, unsure of what to do in his current predicament.

"I'm sorry to all of you, actually." Aerith said, lowering her head and watching the floor carefully. "I know we shouldn't have run off like that, but..." She shrugged, feeling more than a little uneasy. She smiled when everyone muttered that it was alright but they'd better never try anything like that again.

Cloud spoke up and glared at Sephiroth. "Especially _you_. Don't run off again, alright?"

Sephiroth scoffed. "Yes sir -- I mean, ma'am." He grinned when Cloud's expression went from angry to confused to embarrassed. He rounded on Aerith then.

"You told him!?"

Aerith laughed. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop myself."

Cloud mumbled something and walked away from everyone, who were all by now snickering to themselves.

"You all saw the shadow in the distance?" Aerith asked. Everyone nodded. "So... We're headed that way, right?" Again, everyone nodded.

Cid's voice rang out through the intercom for the third time that day. "Alright you fuckers, get your asses up here before I come down to get you." There was some rustling in the background and they heard Cid fighting with someone before he turned back to his task. "We're almost there and Vince thinks he sees those two shitheads in the distance -- Toyori and Hiei."

Aerith's throat constricted at the thought. They were coming for them?

"We need to land quickly." Elena said, voicing Aerith's thoughts.

Aerith moved quickly through all the compartments to the cockpit. When she got there, she walked up the few stairs to stand beside Cid. "Can we get to somewhere near that shadow to land before they can get to us?" She asked.

Cid shrugged. "I can try, but it doesn't look too good."

He was surprised then, when both Toyori and Hiei both seemed to back off and head back to the large spectacle. Cid managed to make a landing a fair distance away from the it. By now it was past sunset and they couldn't see anything.

"Not good..." Reno muttered.

Tifa grunted in acknowledgement and agreement. Seconds later she was on the ground, the breath knocked out of her. Nobody knew what had just happened, but they reacted accordingly. As she hunched over in pain, everyone was situated on the battle field with their weapons drawn and all their senses on alert. Cloud tended to Tifa, getting her to stand and casting a low cure spell to negate the pain.

Aerith stepped forward. This thing in front of them was... Huge. Fear gripped her and everything inside of her turned icy cold with anguish.

The moment she stepped forward, a bright sheen of light encased a large path of land in front of them. "A... Barrier?" Aerith asked aloud as a light shimmering case of particles enveloped whatever was situated there.

The barrier grew brighter with each passing second and eventually became bright enough for the group to see everything around them and inside the barrier. The night sky was filled with stars, but anything directly above this monstrous machine was entirely wiped from their vision.

Aerith was astounded.

Behind the barrier was a fiend that looked similar to a Weapon. It was shiny silver in colour and had destructive looking eyes. They were blood red and they reminded her of Vincent, except these eyes held something akin to... Death and terror. She could hear everyone behind her gasp and had she looked, she would've seen everyone but Vincent, Sephiroth and Cloud looking away, trying to avert their gazes as its eyes whipped their way over the group. Aerith looked deep into its eyes and she knew, in the instant that its eyes flashed toward her, that this battle would be one like they'd never fought before. It was hell bent on killing. That was what it had been made for.

It's entire body was scaly, shimmering in the light of the barrier. It's body was _huge_. It's arms were probably the most terrifying thing about it though. They were thick and meaty looking -- she didn't know what this thing was made of though -- and at the end were large hands with claws that... Couldn't be called claws. They looked like extremely elongated knives, five on each arm. There were curved blades bending backwards on the top of each arm, a defense mechanism. The rest of the body was just like a Weapon's though. Large, bone crushing feet, jaws full of a very nasty looking set of teeth that could rip through anything and a long, swiping tail.

But after the eyes, the only thing that caught Aerith's attention was the sphere in the middle of it's stomach.

It was glowing brightly and it was pure white. It looked like there was something swimming beneath the surface and when she moved closer still, she could see...

White puffs?

Her eyes widened as something in her mind clicked. Was this why they'd wanted...?

"This is why you wanted the white materia!?" Aerith said, loud enough for everyone to hear. Something coiled around in her stomach, making her feel as though she was suffocating. Her vision blackened almost completely and she swayed on her feet.

There was laughing coming from above her.

Toyori.

"Do you see now, little Cetra? Do you _understand_ now?" He sneered. He was standing on the shoulder of the fiend, Hiei on the opposite shoulder looking rather bored.

They'd taken the white materia to gain access to the Planet, she realized. It hit her like a blow to the stomach. When the white materia had been with her, before her death and in her body, she'd been able to minipulate the Planet's surface, the lifestream, utilize plants to her liking and needs... Now they had it. They'd infused the white espers that connected the Cetra with the Planet that had escaped when it had been smashed into a thousand pieces with this monster. That gave this monster a control she didn't even want to think about.

"You... You can't do this." She stuttered lamely, so completely engrossed in her thoughts of what could happen next to care to put up any particularly good conversation or argument.

"I'm afraid we already have." Hiei said, jumping down from his place on the shoulder of the fiend. He landed silently on his feet, not a blade of grass or flurry of snow around him disturbed.

Aerith tried to compose herself and failed. She couldn't believe how _clueless_ she'd been. This could have been avoided, in two ways. Either she could've destroyed the materia herself, when Toyori and Hiei hadn't been around or she could've kept herself more alert and hidden and not have let them get a hold of it. She sighed and closed her eyes.

_She had failed_.

"Toyori, you..." She struggled with her words, trying to speak and tell everyone around her and more importantly, in front of her, what she'd found out and what she found so appalling. This is what she'd come here to say, hadn't she? "You said you hated the man named Kiyoku."

Toyori's face became blank and the twisted in rage. "I do hate that son of a bitch."

Aerith lowered her face to the ground and squeezed her eyes shut. He doesn't know, she thought sadly. Breathing in deeply, she looked up at him with grief clouding her eyes.

"Then why are you helping him?"

* * *

Toyori glared at the woman standing on the ground below him. "What the hell are you talking about?" He asked sharply.

The group she travelled with were looking at her like she'd grown another head and, honestly, he felt like looking at her like that too. What was she saying? Helping him? There was no way in hell he would help the bastard that had condemned him to this life.

"Toyori..." She spoke up. He winced at the pity in her voice. "Toyori, something happened when Kiyoku did whatever he did to you..." She paused. "What _did_ he do to you?"

Logic and common sense told him she was prying for unneeded information but the words spilled from his mouth before he could stop them and when he became aware of what he was doing, he didn't _want_ to stop. Each word he said made him more and more infuriated with that shadow of his past that had haunted him, Hiei and Kayana for years. "That bastard and Hojo went around looking for candidates for a research project years ago. They said it would change our lives. We never asked for the better or for the worse." He laughed hysterically at that and his eyes were wild.

"We should have! They injected us with various amounts of Mako and when we were stable enough to survive in large quantities, they forced us into those damned Mako pools they managed to find around the world." He was shaking now.

"How many of there were you?" Aerith asked, not really caring for the actual details of how and why they survived.

He narrowed his eyes. "At least forty to fifty of us. Only twenty survived the Mako inducing process." Toyori's eyes became saddened. Hiei watched him with pain and remembrance in his eyes. The fiend sat still as ever. "Eventually, the others died in the Mako pools. The three of us -- Kayana, Hiei and I, were left. Along with one other who... Arrived after us." He frowned and calmed a bit. "We never did actually see him."

"So... You survived living in the Mako pools. It's like the Lifestream, I guess." Aerith prodded.

Hiei nodded. "If you are stable enough, then yes, you can live in Mako like the Lifestream. Our bodies were so filled past the maximum, I'm surprised we didn't all die when we were showered mercilessly in it." He shrugged. "But we did. And we spent a good many years there, with no help from anyone. We were prisoners within the Planet."

"So, this other person who joined you... You never saw him?" Aerith asked.

"No." Toyori shook his head. "But why does it matter?"

Aerith shook her head. She kept her eyes closed when she asked her final question. "Is there someone with you now?"

_Yes, there is,_ a voice snapped harshly.

"'Coming forth as godly beings, unable to be harmed, the world will plunge into darkness as those lost in the shadows reveal a monstrosity, one provided with powers by the great entity. May he rise without fail alongside.'" She said, quoting the documents Cid had found not too long ago. "Hojo didn't write those documents, his writing didn't match the writing of those words."

The voice laughed suddenly. _You are a smart young woman, Cetra..._

"Hojo didn't write them and if he didn't write them, Kiyoku must have. They were the only ones who knew about the experiment, right?"

Hiei nodded uneasily. "Yes..."

"'Coming forth as godly beings, unable to be harmed, the world will plunge into darkness as those lost in the shadows reveal a monstrosity, one provided with powers by the great entity.'" Aerith repeated. "Those words refer to you, 'godly beings' and the Planet, 'the great entity'. This fiend," she motioned her head towards the huge being in front of her. "Is one of the 'godly beings' as well and is the one with the most channelled power of the Planet." To be honest with herself, she'd figured some of this out before, but not all of it. Things were slowly piecing together in her head and she spoke as they came to her.

Both Toyori and Hiei stood in disbelief and shock and Hiei seemed to be the first to realize what the rest meant. He narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth, but all that came from him was a deadly scream as pain ripped through him like fire.

"'May he rise without fail alongside.'" Aerith said, trying to tune out the dreaful screaming. "That must mean Kiyoku?"

"Why?" Toyori asked.

Aerith shook her head. "Kiyoku wrote it. It was meant to be a prophecy of some sort, the way it was written. At least, I think so."

The voice rumbled with laughter again. _You are right, Cetra. Hojo meant all along to stab me in the back. He couldn't take sharing the glory of the project. _

"Wait, wait." Reno said, stepping forward. "Aer, however you figured this all out... Bravo. But if it's true, why didn't the idiot try to get away while he could? Why would you do that to yourself?"

_When I realized he was coming for me, it was too late for me to get away... So I devised a plan. He was going to send me into the abyss with these people and I'd long since enabled myself to have powers of the mind... I knew I could fulfill it._

By this time, Toyori had rounded on the large fiend as well and was ready to attack and kill. He too, fell to the ground in a writhing heap.

_I wrote it, quickly, and stored it away... I put up no fight against Hojo._

"How did you know you could get the white materia? How did you know there was another Cetra?" Sephiroth asked, stepping up beside Aerith.

_Why Sephiroth... This was all happening when Hojo had begun to torture Lucrecia and when he found out that Gast's Cetran wife Ifalna was pregnant. I do remember you, Vincent Valentine._ Vincent tensed when he heard his name._ Yes, I remember you... I was still around when he tortured you. In fact, I helped. I don't imagine you would remember me?_

"Your name was familiar to me, but that is all." He answered, a mere growl.

_But enough talk... _Kiyoku said. The fiend's eyes flashed dangerously and it took a step forward, but not enough to cross the barrier, not even to make it closer to it. _You can all die knowing how and why I managed to get here. I assume Hojo is dead?_ He took the silence as confirmation. He laughed, loudly and satisfactorily. _All the better._

Beside him, both Toyori and Hiei were on their feet in a flash. Their eyes were haunted looking, dull and dark.

"He's possessed them..." Tifa said.

Cloud shook his head. "Let's end this."

Toyori smiled with humour. "You think you can win?" He voice was raspy and echo-like now. He snapped his fingers and there was suddenly at least a dozen Mako-induced fiends crouched behind him, waiting for the signal to attack. There was but a moment of silence before he said the one word needed to launch the battle.

_"Iku!"_

It had begun.

* * *

'I'm not ready for this.'

That was her first thought. She had lapsed into a world of her own after Toyori and Hiei had stood, eyes darkened with power and the hunger to kill. She stood stock still, unmoving as fiends raced towards her and everyone that still stood behind her, waiting for the first clash of a weapon against gnashing teeth. They were ready to sink their teeth into her flesh and all she could think about was how she couldn't possibly do this any longer.

Whatever had led her here, was gone.

She didn't understand now, why she felt so compelled to come here.

Had she drawn everyone to their deathbed? Had she completely destroyed their one and only chance?

Cid and Barret had people to go back to. Had she just completely crushed five people's worlds?

_'Child--'_

Her eyes snapped open -- when had they closed? She looked around her frantically, searching for the voice she'd just heard. It hadn't just been a hallucination, had it? Surely something like that she wouldn't make up? Wishing for it to be there and having it actually occur were two very different things.

It was a very ghostly but soothing voice. _'Child, please.'_

_'Hear me.'_

She opened her mouth to speak and then she noticed Sephiroth standing beside her, his fingers digging painfully into her skin as he yelled at her. "Why the hell are you just standing here!?" His eyes were blazing with fury at her idiocy.

She looked up at him stupidly for a second. She looked forward and saw that the fiends were getting increasingly closer with each passing second. Titling her head upward, she found the eyes of Toyori and Hiei. They were both now situated on the shoulders of the fiend that was still hidden behind the barrier. Her heart clenched as she reminded herself that they would need to be killed -- and why? No fault of their own. They had no control over this situation. They were simply prisoners in a choiceless world.

_'Hear me!'_

Aerith scrunched her face up sadly. "What!?" The gently blowing wind carried her words into the distance. Given that she hadn't been looking at, thus speaking to Sephiroth, he looked the perfect picture of confusion and worry. She could just see the question in his face -- had she finally snapped?

_'Child, break the barrier...'_

It was being droned out, slowly. Its voice was fading and she panicked as she recognized the voice.

No!

"How, tell me how!" _She_ screamed back. Sephiroth, seeing that she wasn't listening, stood in front of her and raised his blade.

He was frozen in shock when the fiends change their course, choosing to run around them instead of straight at them. He was further bewildered when not one of the fiends came back around to attack either of them. They all ran by the pair, unfazed as they left possible and very dangerous opponents alone. Aerith watched them and, as if in slow motion, they, as a group, crouched and pounced on Avalanche and the Turks. Everyone raised their weapons and fists in defense.

"No!" Aerith cried.

She watched as Cloud's sword swung forcefully straight through the body of one of the fiend's. Her eyes widened as he moved to dodge the claws that were being aimed at his throat. He just barely made it by before he had to swing himself around to avoid a pair of snapping teeth.

They weren't able to land any hits, any of them.

The creatures were, for the moment, untouchable.

_'Child, listen... me!'_

Aerith tried to concentrate, thinking she was missing some of the Planet's words, but found the voice was merely being broken up. Their connection, however there was one, was being broken.

_'You... Powers of Cet... Use... They are with you... Forget?'_

Aerith turned to look at Sephiroth. She addressed his questioning gaze first. "I... The Planet, I can hear it. I think it's because we're so close..." She trailed off, focusing on the white sphere that was so prominently sitting in the middle of the fiend's stomach. It was giving off a slight glimmer of light now and it beckoned to Aerith, pleading. She could feel words pouring into her mind. "We have to break the barrier." Aerith continued.

"The fiends..." Sephiroth started.

Aerith looked over at her friends, dodging attacks coming from all sides, trying to stay alive.

"I... We can't help them by going over there and getting caught up in the fight." She said, but even so, saying the words bothered her and she screamed internally to ignore it and go anyways.

But what help would they be?

"Then how do we break the barrier?"

"I don't know. The Planet said I could... But it didn't tell me how."

Sephiroth looked up at Toyori and Hiei, who were both watching them intently, never once blinking or averting their gaze. He narrowed his eyes and the pair smiled without humor right back. Toyori was fixated on Aerith and that alone sent adrenaline and rage pumping through his blood like wildfire.

Aerith caught his gaze and followed it, but looked away once she saw her onlooker. She muttered something that sounded like 'creepy' and Sephiroth rolled his eyes; only she would resort to a word so mild.

"Try connecting with the Planet." Sephiroth said, glancing down at her. Her face lit up and she brought a finger to the corner of her lips, tapping it thoughtfully.

"That's not a bad idea. Why do I always miss these things?" She said jokingly, before she breathed in deeply, composing herself.

On the other end of the battlefield, Avalanche was quickly becoming tired and drained of all energy. Cloud swung himself around forcefully in the millionth attempt to evade the fiends' sharp talons. He growled deep in his throat, aggravated. This was absolutely insane! They wouldn't be able to put up a fight when they _were_ able to hit them the way things were going now! To top it all off, in the back of his mind the only thing he could think about was Tifa.

Was she safe? Was she hurt? He could hardly take a second to look around for her to even see her.

"Aaaagh!" Yuffie cried out, charging forward at a group of fiends. "Why can't you just _die_!"

And that was when Cloud felt his first spark of hope. The fiends dodged her attack.

Vincent was the next in line, throwing his claw out in front of Yuffie to intercept the fiends before they managed to hit her. They dug their feet into the ground and quickly shoved themselves backwards, but not before Vincent was able to land a small, but still visible, hit.

And in that moment, all of Avalanche sprang at the fiends.

* * *

"What is she doing?" Toyori asked Hiei, flashing his eyes darkly over to where his partner and friend stood silently. He didn't answer and they simply stood stoicly as Aerith walked towards the barrier, slowly and cautiously.

"When are we going to move?" Hiei asked instead.

You will move in time... Kiyoku said sternly.

They all lapsed into silence.

* * *

"God fucking damn! I'm too --" Cid began, cutting off to swing his spear at a charging fiend. "Fucking old for this! Grahh!" The fiend let out a sharp yell as the man's spear tore through its flesh and became lodged just below the rib cage. It let out a droning moan and fell to the ground in a heap. Cid grabbed the spear and wordlessly yanked it up and out of the bloodied mess.

Avalanche had been fighting for only a few minutes and already the count of monsters was down to a dozen. Everyone's strength from the months before, when they had been fighting who was now their ally, was showing through as they hacked mercilessly at the monsters.

Tifa and Cloud were standing silently, watching the rest of the group finish off their fiend they were fighting, having just finished with their own. They shared a meaningful look.

Barret let out a battle cry and shot a round of bullets into the last one and Yuffie pranced around unabatedly, slashing at each and every one of the broken bodies. Blood mixed with glowing mako sprayed into the air and around her, onto her, but she never once flinched. Her excuse was, "just making sure, guys! Don't wanna walk away only to find Cloud's getting his ass bitten off!" The group turned to face each other, breathing laboured and their bodies already bruised from the hits they'd taken.

Red sat on his haunches, Cait laying neatly on his head and they both began to recite the incantation for a powerful cure spell. A shimmering green mist encircled them all as their minds and bodies were rejuvenated.

"That was some fight." Tifa said, brushing the side of her mouth with her fist to get rid of some blood that was staining it. Cloud shook himself thoroughly and closed his eyes, letting out a great sigh.

"And it's not over..." Elena added, turning to look at the large monster still sitting in front of them behind the seemingly unbreakable barrier. Toyori and Hiei were both visible, just sitting behind it, watching them.

"Creeps." Yuffie said.

"God damned foo's!" Barret yelled, shaking his arm in the air madly. "Cowardly bastard's."

Tifa sighed and her eyes were filled with a sudden surge of emotion. "I... You guys." She began, speaking quietly. "Be careful, alright? I want each and every one of you to hug me at the end of this okay?"

Silence.

"What're they doing, guys?" Yuffie asked, pointing to two moving figures; Aerith and Sephiroth.

Tifa shook her head. "I guess we should go and find out."

They walked an endless walk, filled with a large and draining silence. Barret thought about Marlene and Elmyra and wondered what they might be doing. Were they smiling right now? Were they keeping each other happy as always? Or were they worrying about him... He shook his head, restless. God, he hated just leaving them. Over and over again, he left for some reason or another. For Corel, for a journey, for a meeting with his friends...

Yuffie looked at Cid as they reached the end of their walk, coming up behind Aerith and Sephiroth. "So. Did you tell Shera what we're doing?"

Cid shook his head and looked wistful for a moment. "Not the whole god damned story, no. I don't need her worrying her ass off."

Yuffie nodded, understanding. And she wondered if Godo wondered about her, whether she was safe or if she was dead. And even if he did wonder, did he really even care? It was one thing to think about it but it was another to give a damn about what you were thinking about.

'He probably just wants me to get back there to...' Yuffie couldn't finish the thought and blinked back tears bitterly. It didn't matter. She didn't need to think about it. She glanced at Vincent but quickly looked away when she found she couldn't hold her gaze, even when she wasn't looking in his eyes.

That didn't help either.

"Aerith?" Red started the conversation up when they were close enough.

The two spun around to look at the group, startled. Aerith broke into a grateful smile. "You're okay, thank the gods. I'm so sorry we didn't..."

Cloud shook his head and waved his hand in the air, dismissing her guilt. "Don't worry about it, it was fine." He motioned towards the barrier in front of them. "What're we going to do about that? They can attack us, but we can't attack them unless this barrier is gone."

Aerith honestly didn't think that they would attack unless they broke the barrier as they hadn't made a move yet. In fact, the Weapon look-alike had been sitting motionless the entire time, only taking a single step forward.

It... Brought many questions to her mind but she settled for thinking about how to break their defense.

"I... I could hear the Planet for a moment. It said I should break the barrier, but didn't tell me how." She looked up at Sephiroth. "We have an idea though...?" She trailed off into a question.

Tifa swung her hair back from her face and smiled. "Go for it then."

Aerith nodded but she looked unsure.

"Just try to connect with it." Sephiroth said.

"I heard you."

Aerith swallowed deeply and closed her eyes, concetrating on her pulsing heart. She delved deep into her mind, losing all focus and connection with the outside world, only seeing the inside of her mind. Complexities like this were certainly something new to her, but she figured she knew where to find what she was looking for. She searched herself, the recesses of herself, trying to find the voice.

It took her a few minutes, but she eventually found it. Still, she could hear nothing but the steady beat of her heart and now, the words and emotions conveyed through the external link between her and her dear Planet.

_'We can help...'_

_'Here for you...'_

_'Take this power, Cetra...'_

_'My child, concentrate on my voice, listen to me...'_

_'Save us...'_

Save us.

She felt like she was floating when she opened her eyes. She felt conpletely devoid of anything else but the energy that was coursing through her body. She didn't look down at herself, but simply walked forward, ever closer to the barrier. Had she looked down, she would see the Lifestream entangling itself around her body, rising upwards with each movement she took.

The Planet called to her, whispering silent words.

_'You must listen to me...'_ The Planet spoke quietly and calmly, soothing Aerith's growing anxiety. _'You must all be careful... This decides your fate.'_

_'Just a single touch... Single touch... Touch...' _

The Planet's last line echoed through her head and she could've sworn she fell into a trance. She walked almost sleepily, swaying and her hand reaching forward steadily but entirely too gracefully.

_'Touch...'_

And in the very second her fingertips brushed the barrier, all of the energy was swept from her body and into the barrier. It growed brighter, steadily brighter in the course of a few seconds until it was almost unbearable to look at.

And it shattered like glass, into millions of little pieces.

Arcing outwards, it dissolved through their bodies and faded slowly away.

Their was a stunned silence that passed slowly, until Toyori laughed.

"You have condemned yourself!" He yelled, his voice mixing with Kiyoku's. The fiend's eyes flashed and walked forward, its teeth bared and its claws flexed, ready to kill.

Aerith stumbled as the Planet's voice was washed out of her mind and she returned to her own mind and body. She looked up and was met with the image of Hiei and Toyori flying towards her.

She side stepped their attack and all of Avalanche flew forward, some breaking off towards the fiend and the rest falling into a battle with the two very dangerous and possessed madmen.

"Cetra, Cetra, you never do learn!" Hiei yelled, throwing himself at her. She blocked his attack with her staff but fell back a few feet as she tried to concentrate on a powerful holy spell.

Sephiroth and Toyori's blade clashed and Tifa's battle cry pierced the air sharply. Cloud and Yuffie sprung into the air and somersaulted back down from either side of Toyori. Being that he was entirely surrounded by the four, he only managed to evade Cloud and Tifa's hits, but Yuffie and Sephiroth both hit him in the side, leaving large gashes. He didn't seem to even notice it and continued to hack away like crazy, his eyes wild.

Aerith raised her hands into the air and her staff wavered steadily as she released her magic. Hiei got the brunt of it, but some of it managed to get Toyori. Again, neither seemed to notice or they simply didn't care, as neither flinched or gave any sign that they were even aware that they were being attacked.

They five could hear the clanking of weapons from the others, at they blocked and flew themselves at the hard and scaly monster. Landing a hit was difficult, as its skin seemed unbreakable but they, as a group, kept trying to break through a particular area while dodging swipes of the bladed limbs or otherwise being kicked harshly off of it as it tried to manage to get them into a position to severely damage.

It went on for a while, with neither side really becoming more weakened then the other.

Then, the first person was struck down.

In the midst of a rather hectic frolic, the fiend stopped all movement and stood stock still. It raised both its arms abruptly and fixed them on the group it was fighting. It happened in slow motion for all of them -- the blade-like claws sprung out of its upper extremities and flew toward the group. Vincent, Reno and Elena were the first to spring away, hastily turning back around in apprehension. Red sprang underneath its huge body, Cait tumbling down after him. Cid cursed and ducked, barely managing to miss being impaled and iliciting a gasp of horror and mixed relief from Elena.

Barret's eyes widened and before he knew what was happening, blood clouded his vision.

His blood.

* * *

Time had stopped for Aerith.

She could not, for the life of her, draw in a breath.

Her heart was absolutely pounding and her vision was tainted with the sight of Barret lying on the ground, struggling to breath and move, impaled by an _inhumanly_ large claw. His blood was already pooling beneath him and they only thing she could think of was whether or not he was going to survive.

'Marlene, Elmyra...'

'Oh my god...'

Toyori and Hiei had stopped attacking for the moment, thoroughly enjoying seeing Tifa crying out and running over to the fallen man. They both smiled sadistically at Aerith, who was standing still in an insane amount of shock, trying to absorb what had just happened.

Not only was the monster, moving forward to destroy the rest of them, but it had _new_ claws.

Barret was... _Dying_.

Her heart clenched.

She swayed on her feet.

And her vision darkened.

_Come..._ Kiyoku boomed.

That snapped Aerith right out of her trance. She watched Toyori and Hiei both crouch and flip backwards high into he air, landing on the fiends shoulders. They glanced over the group aimlessly and laughed. "Prepared to go a second time, Cetra?" Toyori asked flippantly.

'This is not happening...'

"I... Dear Planet..." Aerith whispered. She focused her gaze on the glowing sphere as she fell into the black abyss of her mind once again. She reached deep, trying to salvage a power she knew she could find. She was suddenly filled with that tug again, that familiar beckoning she had felt so strongly before she'd been compelled to run here.

She found what she was looking for, but she was stopped by the Planet's panic-filled voice.

_'Child, no!'_

Images passed through her mind in seconds, the Planet's hope in trying to get her to change her mind. It hardly fazed her.

'We can't win this anymore.'

The Planet didn't say a word to that.

More images and emotions filled her mind and Aerith took them all in head on.

'See, you know that we can't... So why stop me? And why shouldn't I, when it will make no difference to me...' She paused. 'But it will make a difference to them.' Her friends voices, smiles, faces only coaxed her into completing the task.

_'My child, I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry...'_

'Planet--'

_'You will--'_ It argued.

'Planet--!'

_"No, you--'_

'PLANET, dear Gaia, please.'

_'My Cetra, my last Cetra...'_ It sent ripples of sadness through Aerith's entire body. _'I'm so sorry...'_

Another shatter was heard and Avalanche gasped. Tifa cried in pain for Barret, watching him slip away as she tried to heal him over and over again. The espers swimming silently in the white orb seeped out through the cracks and Kiyoku gasped.

_What is this!?_

The espers flew right through Aerith, trailing out of her back silently, wisps floating away into the darkness.

Aerith opened her eyes and she moved forward quickly. But Aerith merely watched, she could not control. Her eyes were a dark bluish-gray in colour, devoid of life and emotion. Her body was surrendered to the Planet's will.

Toyori, Hiei and the fiend made no move.

"Cetra!" Toyori hissed, jumping towards her.

Aerith stood impassively, looking defeated. Weary.

Sephiroth was in front of her suddenly, but Aerith pushed him aside effortlessly. He made no move to stand in front of her again, watching helplessly. Toyori threw his blade out in a ferocious act of anger and strength. Aerith's eyes closed as Toyori swung and hit a glowing white shield.

He was flung back into the fiend with a stinging impact that was punctuated with a loud crack.

Aerith watched with anguish as she jumped, no, _flew_ into the night sky, her body becoming enshrouded in a light mist of colour. A circle of silver formed in front of her and she flew through it, only to fall back with a _whoosh_, landing silently on her feet, standing upright with perfection. Her hair was flowinf gently behind her and she felt the slight breeze flowing onto her skin as she closed her eyes.

And she danced.

She knew she was being looked upon with shock, by all present.

Gracefully, effortlessly, lithely, she spun, twisted and moved with emotion as the lifestream and puffs of light were emitted from the earth beneath them. Everything in the vincinity glowed heavenly and she could feel Barret surrender himself.

Tears spilled from the corner of her eyes as the Planet allowed her emotions to flow freely. She cried silently, letting out no sound of her misery, only dancing for absolution and taking in Barret's life force to strengthen her attack.

She could hear his whisper in the wind.

_No regrets, girl..._

"No regrets..." The Planet allowed Aerith's whisper and she could hear it speak with its mind, calling for Sephiroth.

He was there within the second as she slowed her dance until it was completed. Lights filled with life and power hung around them in the air, illuminating Toyori and Hiei's shocked faces, showing them the stillness of the fiend before them.

Kiyoku was frozen with undeniable fear but stunning admiration and fascination. He was immovable.

Aerith's eyes opened and she was looking into the uncertain and fearful eyes of Sephiroth. Sephiroth, the untouchable and the unbreakable. He looked so broken and she mentally cringed and cried out for it to all just end, to be over so she didn't have to look into his eyes.

She didn't want to see the knowledge of what she was doing mirrored in him.

"Sephiroth..." The Planet whispered. "I..." It cut itself short and seemed to stammer, something Aerith had never known the Planet for doing. "Sephiroth, to win this we need power. Power only you can give us..."

He blinked a few times and lowered his head.

Aerith's hands slipped into his and she could feel energy pulsing through her body as the Planet hastily took control of the situation, feeling Aerith's need for peace. "To save us..." The Planet spoke, its voice ringing out into the silence.

Sephiroth fell to his knees as he was drained dry of everything. Aerith willed the Planet and her body to let her hold onto him for a moment longer. He must've known, for he looked up into her eyes.

Then, he was falling.

Down, down, down to the ground, the wind blowing through her hair and over his face. The silver circle reformed itself and Aerith moved forward, but this time with all of the light being sucked towards her hands, creating large balls of light.

Clasping her hands, the Planet uttered two words.

"Denique tripudio."

The second the words were uttered, Sephiroth landed on top of Cloud, Reno and Vincent, who had readied themselves to catch him.

The second he made the imapct, his eyes shot open.

He watched then, with utter horror, as the woman he loved gave herself away for the Planet once again.

* * *

She turned her face to the side and let her arms fall down limply beside her. With a final twirl, she raised her arms strongly, letting them fall outwards to the side at the last second. She was encased in a blazing light as a huge ball of life and power flew from her hands. Several followed, all twisting and joining together to strike the final blow.

An explosion like none ever heard before resounded through the night.

Voices exploded through the air, the life of those lost fighting to keep their Planet alive.

Barret's voice rang out louder than the rest for all of them.

They faded, slowly, as did the light.

Anger, sorrow, regret... The screams of millions of souls rang through the air like nothing they'd ever heard. They had failed, they had lost once more with the humans who twisted everything pure to their evil desires. Devastation and destruction. Life and death.

_'My children... My children I am sorry...'_

_'My child, my child... I love you, I love you, I'm sorry...'_

_'No... No...'_ Careening, they screamed in unison.

_'Our world, my world... It is broken.'_

_'Broken...'_

The fiend, Toyori and Hiei dissolved in the intense holy light. The voice of Kiyoku screeched, fighting to be heard.

And like that, everything was gone.

Light billowed around them, slowly falling.

And amidst it all was Aerith, falling slowly to the ground, the light surrounding her flying away behind her.

Looking the true fallen angel.

* * *

Those last moments were so clear in his mind.

He would _never_ forget them.

Whatever the cause and whatever the source, Sephiroth was filled with incredible strength and desparation as he watched Aerith fall silently, her eyes closed and her body swirling in the air... The light waved out behind her, creating the illusion of wings on either side of her body.

Standing, he walked as slow as he dared until he was beneath her, waiting to catch her.

When he did, he fell to the ground with her, taking great care not to injure her further.

No, no, no, no, no...!

Her friends, _his_ friends, all stood back silently, tears streaming and their sobs muffled.

All he could hear, see, feel... Was Aerith. He brushed back her bangs and cupped her face gently after laying her out on the ground softly. He whispered her name once, twice...

He closed his eyes in grief when she didn't respond. He could hear her heartbeat gradually slow, becoming fainter and fainter with each passing second. In a last act of hope, he took her hand in his and quickly chimed the words for a cure spell. It was weak, but it was all he could manage.

Her eyes fluttered open and she breathed in deeply. Her eyes darted around guardedly until she met his gaze. She instantly calmed. He muttered another cure spell but her finger on his lips stopped him.

Her eyes filled with tears, but she smiled.

"Sephiroth, no..." She spoke softly, her voice sounding weak and raspy. "I can't..."

Sephiroth shook his head. "Aerith, this... Why did you do it?" His voice was equally as soft, but demanding, pleading.

She tilted her head and smiled brighter still. Her tears spilled down her cheeks as she looked up at him thoughtfully. "It was... All I could do." She breathed deeply and her eyes slid closed. Sephiroth felt his heart leap into his throat in sudden panic, but she quickly squeezed his hand in reassurance and opened her eyes once more, seeming to sense his dread.

"Aerith..." His voice broke and she herself crumbled into a mess of tears and sadness.

"Sephiroth, I had to do it. It was for you, for all of you." She continued and her heartbeat slowly began to fade again. She rubbed circles on the top of his hands soothingly. "You have to promise me something..." She cried, feeling her time slip away.

Sephiroth swallowed and his heart broke into a million pieces. "What?" He forced out.

She smiled and reached up to stroke his cheek lovingly. "This is your second chance. You have friends now and you have a life."

He closed his eyes.

"Live for the both of us."

With that, she leaned up and captured his lips in a searing kiss, filled with all the passion and love she felt for him.

It lasted not long enough for Sephiroth. She went lax in his arms and he quickly lowered her gently to the ground as every negative emotion possible to feel overwhelmed him. He didn't want to lose her, not now, not like this! Her eyes were just barely open and he watched her as she looked at everyone around the pair.

Tifa cried over Barret's body, her own shaking uncontrollably with pain and grief for her last father figure and for her dearest friend. Cloud couldn't and didn't look at Aerith, instead holding Tifa as she broke down completely. Yuffie was being supported by Cid and Vincent as she watched the scene unfolding before her in familiar horror. Red and Cait looked on sadly, Red's ears drooping and Cait having his faced turned away, unable to watch. Reno and Elena stood together on the side, both in shock.

Her eyes met with Sephiroth's last.

He would never forget the look in her eyes.

Her heartbeat stopped and her eyelids rippled closed as she whispered her final words.

"Seph, I love you."

With that, the only good thing in Sephiroth's life was ripped away from him and he fell into a familiar void of despair. One last breath was emitted from her body and he watched numbly as her body slowly dissappated into puffs of light, flowing into the air, dancing sadly.

With that, Sephiroth, for the first time in a long time, cried.

_I love you, too._

* * *

**AN: **_Oh my god._ I can not believe that its over. I'm really just shocked. When I finished this chapter last night and sent it off, I was just... XD

First off, I have a couple thanks to give. My first and foremost thanks goes to GeneralDragon, Impolite and, for this chapter, Turtlerad17. Your continued work on these chapters or otherwise being their to motivate me to start this story at all and complete it is just... This entire thing wouldn't have been done without you. I owe you all. Secondly, thanks to all my reviewers and readers. Your words kept me going and you've made me entirely too comfortable with writing now! I love ya'll.

_Thank you, all of you_. I hope this entire story worked out to your enjoyment and standards.

I hope you all enjoyed -- I sure as hell did.

* * *

_.The End._


	36. Epilogue

**Lost in the Shadows**

_Epilogue_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7, its characters, settings, etc. However, these words are mine.

* * *

__

_Even if I say  
It'll be alright  
Still I hear you say  
You want to end your life  
Now and again we try  
To just stay alive  
Maybe we'll turn it all around  
'Cause it's not too late  
It's never too late  
-- Three Days Grace ;; Never Too Late_

* * *

The tears never stopped.

Even though they weren't visible at times, they were always there.

Souls torn, hearts shattered and lives feeling bereft, they tried with every ounce of themselves to get past it.

They very nearly succeeded.

* * *

Some things were repaired, but much was lost between them all.

A rift lay between the besotted Vincent and Yuffie. They merely glanced at each other in passing, never once speaking to the other about anything. The people around them could see the hurt and the pain in their eyes though -- the love they so obviously felt for one another. They only hoped it would be a matter of time before they saw how ridiculous they were being. They'd seen what could happen to a person when they lost the only thing that mattered to them.

Surely they wouldn't make the same mistake.

Cloud had tried his best to put the ordeal behind him, though for a long many months, he seemed to be the most affected, aside from Sephiroth. But he was happy. He made Aerith's death worth it. He, Tifa and Denzel moved back to Midgar and they slowly began to rebuild their lives.

Marlene, broken and ill with the death of her father, was entrusted by Elmyra to Tifa and Cloud. She had said that Marlene should be with the people who really knew her father and who would be able to take care of her and provide her with what she needed.

Elmyra, strained with the loss of her daughter, passed away.

Cid went back home to Shera and they began in raising their child together. The delicate baby girl was named Myrna, a tribute to Barret.

Red, Cait, Reno and Elena all went back to Cosmo Canyon, unable to see what they would otherwise be doing.

And Sephiroth...?

* * *

_All eyes were on him as he walked away._

_Tifa cried out to his retreating back, asking, pleading for him to stay. _

_He never turned around._

* * *

Sephiroth kept in touch with Tifa and sometimes even Yuffie, but when he did call or visit them he never had much to say and he never looked any different. He was a broken man, wandering a very broken world.

He admitted once to Tifa, after a swift interrogation, that had it not been for Aerith's parting words, he would've followed her into the sweet abyss of eternity, but he was otherwise trying to find meaning in the world.

The grief would never go away.

His heart would never beat as lively as it once did.

But he would honor her memory, and their love, for the rest of his life.

* * *


End file.
